This is a beautiful tale concerning two seas.
If you have ever visited Israel, then you know that Israel has two lakes. The one up in the North is the Kinneret, also known as the sea of Galilee, because it is up in the area called the Galilee. From this lake comes most of the water in the tiny state. The ancient city of Tiberias, located on its shores, is today a flourishing city. Here the delicious St. Peter's fish is caught by the local fishermen and prized as a delicacy. From the Kinneret, the water is purified and pumped into large pipelines that bring the life-giving water to the towns and cities all over the country. The Sea of Galilee is beautiful. It has blue water and is full of fauna and flora. Life exists. Trees line its banks where children splash and play. The Jordan River makes this sea, flowing from the sunny hills. And life is happy and vibrant around this sea.
Through the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River continues to flow south. Into another sea the cool rolling waters flow. Into the Dead Sea. Here there are no fish swimming, no birds flying above, no families sunning near the shoreline. No man or animal will drink the water here. Life does not exist and no one wants to be here.
Every school kid knows that the only water body which in reality is not a sea but ironically called so is the Dead Sea; it is actually a lake. That explains the ‘sea’ part of ‘Dead Sea’. But why is it Dead Sea? Or the Killer Sea? Because there is absolutely no life in it even though it is 67 kms long, 18 kms wide at its widest point, and 1237 feet deep. It is one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth; almost 9 times saltier than normal ocean water. It is this high density of salt which never allows even the slightest hint of marine flora or fauna to survive and flourish. But why is this lake so salty? Quite simple. It never flows out. It receives water from River Jordan but keeps it all to itself. It is so below the mean sea level that there is no outlet. Some amount of water of course gets evaporated leaving the salts behind, and in the process creates the dead, most uninhabitable environment.
One might ask: What makes this enormous difference between these neighboring seas? Could it be the Jordan River? No. The same flowing waters empty into both bodies. It is also not the soil, not the people, not the geography.
So what is the difference?
The Sea of Galilee receives, but does not keep the Jordan. For every drop that flows into, another drop flows out. The Sea of Galilee gives equally as it receives.
But the Dead Sea keeps the Jordan. It has no outlet. Every drop it gets, it keeps. It is not tempted to share and stockpiles its incoming waters aggressively.
There are two seas in Palestine. The Sea of Galilee gives, lives and flourishes. And the Dead Sea keeps everything, shares nothing and is dead.
Which sea best represents you and your life? Which sea do you wish to be like?
If you have ever visited Israel, then you know that Israel has two lakes. The one up in the North is the Kinneret, also known as the sea of Galilee, because it is up in the area called the Galilee. From this lake comes most of the water in the tiny state. The ancient city of Tiberias, located on its shores, is today a flourishing city. Here the delicious St. Peter's fish is caught by the local fishermen and prized as a delicacy. From the Kinneret, the water is purified and pumped into large pipelines that bring the life-giving water to the towns and cities all over the country. The Sea of Galilee is beautiful. It has blue water and is full of fauna and flora. Life exists. Trees line its banks where children splash and play. The Jordan River makes this sea, flowing from the sunny hills. And life is happy and vibrant around this sea.
Through the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River continues to flow south. Into another sea the cool rolling waters flow. Into the Dead Sea. Here there are no fish swimming, no birds flying above, no families sunning near the shoreline. No man or animal will drink the water here. Life does not exist and no one wants to be here.
Every school kid knows that the only water body which in reality is not a sea but ironically called so is the Dead Sea; it is actually a lake. That explains the ‘sea’ part of ‘Dead Sea’. But why is it Dead Sea? Or the Killer Sea? Because there is absolutely no life in it even though it is 67 kms long, 18 kms wide at its widest point, and 1237 feet deep. It is one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth; almost 9 times saltier than normal ocean water. It is this high density of salt which never allows even the slightest hint of marine flora or fauna to survive and flourish. But why is this lake so salty? Quite simple. It never flows out. It receives water from River Jordan but keeps it all to itself. It is so below the mean sea level that there is no outlet. Some amount of water of course gets evaporated leaving the salts behind, and in the process creates the dead, most uninhabitable environment.
One might ask: What makes this enormous difference between these neighboring seas? Could it be the Jordan River? No. The same flowing waters empty into both bodies. It is also not the soil, not the people, not the geography.
So what is the difference?
The Sea of Galilee receives, but does not keep the Jordan. For every drop that flows into, another drop flows out. The Sea of Galilee gives equally as it receives.
But the Dead Sea keeps the Jordan. It has no outlet. Every drop it gets, it keeps. It is not tempted to share and stockpiles its incoming waters aggressively.
There are two seas in Palestine. The Sea of Galilee gives, lives and flourishes. And the Dead Sea keeps everything, shares nothing and is dead.
Which sea best represents you and your life? Which sea do you wish to be like?
