We went to the beach yesterday. It’s a wide beach full of sand. You have to walk pretty far before you reach the water. The beach is spotted with wooden boats but vastly empty of people except for men lined up pulling in giant nets cast that morning. They work on pulling these nets in for hours. There is a pretty strong shore break. The waves crash loudly, powerfully and spray white water everywhere. Beyond that break, the ocean is fairly calm.
Yesterday the waves were the biggest we’ve seen yet. There were no fishermen out and very few people dotted the beach. I swam out past the break, diving below the large crashing waves to get out deeper where I could just float.
I grew up at the beach and love the ocean. The beach fills me with peace and lets me see my Creator so clearly; it’s typically where I experience Him most clearly. It is such a sweet gift that we are right on the beach here in Togo. Floating there, I realized how much I’ve missed the ocean. It feels peaceful, safe. I know its rhythms. I know when to swim, when to dive, when to float. I can navigate it without much thought (a thing I thought was completely normal until traveling with people who live in land-locked states who have not experienced the ocean much). I feel at home in the ocean.
Out in the water I was struck by how much the ocean reminds me of our Heavenly Father. He is so good to leave His fingerprints, His impression here on this earth for us to see and experience.
The ocean is in fact mighty and powerful. It is not actually safe, although I feel safe there. But this is because I know it well. I know its ebbs and flows. I know its roars and whispers. I have spent my life learning and experiencing it.
Our Lord is mighty and powerful. I am reminded of the Narnia quote, “Of course he isn’t safe, but he’s good.” If we spend time getting to know how He works, His heart, His voice, then we know His rhythms. The more time we spend with Him the better we know Him. He is peaceful and safe, and we trust His voice.
Sometimes life with the Father is intimidating or challenging. Sometimes we have to get past the break. Maybe we even get caught in the break and we get tumbled by a wave. There’s a brief period of time where you aren’t sure which way is up, where you get turned around. But, this will pass. You will try again, and you will get past the break. You will get to the calmer waters.
The thing about the ocean is the more you trust it, the easier it is to navigate. If you get tumbled head over heels by a wave the best thing to do is stay calm and trust that you will get back to the surface. It’s the same with the Father, I think. The more we trust Him, the easier it is to hear His voice. The more we trust that He has us in His hands the more we feel at peace; the more we feel safe.
I have always loved the ocean but after a day in the ocean in Togo – a place I never thought I would see – I think I might love it even more, because there I experienced a little bit of Kingdom here on earth.
With all the love,
Kayla
