Heaven Bound

I remember when I first moved to Hawaii back in 1999. I was excited to be living near the ocean for the first time in my life. I knew how to swim but, had no experience with water outside the local swimming pool, where I grew up.

One day not long after I had arrived, I traveled to the North Shore to one of the more popular beaches. It was a beautiful sunny day. The waves were rolling in at a steady pace and I was anxious to get in to the water.  Wading out in to the surf, I had no more than began to enjoy the warm tropical water swirling about my knees and upper thighs,  when, wham, one of the incoming waves, much more powerful than I had expected pummeled me down in to the surging water.

Suddenly instead of enjoying the water, I was under the water caught in a swirl of stinging sand and salt that took my breath away and stung my eyes.  Gasping, I struggled to get up when, wham another wave knocked me down. Again, I struggled to get up. But, before I could get my feet under me, I was knocked back down again.  By the time I finally made it out of the water, my hair was full of sand, my swimsuit (also full of sand) was sagging about me in a most unbecoming way and blood was streaming down my leg from a serious of minor cuts received courtesy of the unforgiving reef. I was a mess and felt like I had just emerged from the spin cycle of my washing machine!  Not the kind of day at the beach I had imagined!

It was not until sometime later that I began to understand that in order to enjoy the water safely, I needed to swim out beyond the breaking surf where the water was deeper and much more calm. Once I figured that out, I  began to have a good time  swimming, bobbing and floating on the incoming swells. But, it was a lesson I had to learn the hard way. In my naïve way, I had assumed the deeper water further out was more dangerous than the water closer to shore. I was wrong.

GETTING OUT OF THE SURF

I’ve been feeling kind of beaten down lately. Have you ever felt that way? I’m sure you have. Two days ago, I came home from my night shift job to find the ceiling of my living room had caved in during the night from a water leak – a virtual waterfall was raining down from the ceiling on to my carpet and furniture. Wow! For a moment it was surreal and I wondered if I had fallen asleep on the way home and was dreaming – a nightmare! But, no, it was real. And, I made a quick call to the manager of the complex I live in who rushed over and got the water shut off for me. Since then it has been a series of disaster crew clean up, plumbers and carpenters coming in to give me estimates on repairing the damage. I also found out I need a new furnace and of course wrangling with the insurance company. Needless to say, I’ve felt overwhelmed.  And, depressed. Wham, that was a darned big wave and I sure didn’t see it coming.

Once knocked down, the waves kept rolling in. Some of my own making. “I hate working nights“. “Why, did I leave Hawaii, it’s not the same here“.  “I‘m tired of being deaf; hearing is such a struggle, it makes everything harder” …. “even with the insurance this is going to cost me so much”  …..   poor pity me …..why, why, why …. and, so on and so on.. Standing in the surf!  Bam, down again!

I picked up my Bible to read this morning and I opened to a passage from Luke. It was chapter 19 and although the context of the passage has little to do with my circumstances, the following verse stood out to me. Here Jesus, addresses Jerusalem just prior to his arrest and crucifixion.

“If you … had only known on this day what would bring you peace”. Luke 19:42

Wow, those words really stood out to me. If I only knew what would bring me peace.

But, I do! I know its Jesus! 

So why am I feeling this way?

And, a little voice inside whispered ” get out of the surf”.  Get out of the surf!  For even as Christians, there are times we insist on standing in the surf.  Struggling and going down fast in the circumstances of our lives …. allowing ourselves to be knocked down again and again ….. instead of swimming towards the deeper, safer water of the Father where he can carry us and lift us up even in the most difficult and times of our lives.

But, if we never go there (towards the Father) …  we can never experience it (the peace he offers )….. it’s a  choice, one we must first recognize  – and then act upon.

A thought that has given me a great deal of comfort as I’ve meditated upon it today …… and though my circumstances have not changed, I know that that is where I need to be and where I want to be …. and, that makes all the difference.

Swimming to Jesus – now!

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper who love thee” Psalm 122:6

Watching and waiting with YOU for the soon return of Jesus!

Cindy