If Grace is an Ocean

*I’m standing on the shore. With each wave, receding water erodes the sand beneath my feet.

I think about the sand Jesus tells us not to build our lives upon.

The more time I stand there letting the waves wash over me, the more sand is removed.

The more time I spend in God’s presence, the more he erodes everything false I’ve been building my life upon.

*Humans know more about outer space than the ocean. There are countless secrets in its depths we have yet to discover.

I think about God’s unsearchable wisdom and unfathomable grace.

The more I learn about him, the more I realize how much I have yet to know.

*Hurricanes can sink 200,000-ton ships. Tsunamis can destroy skyscrapers. The ocean is one of the most powerful forces on Earth.

Yet on the beach, the water moves gently enough to tickle a toddler’s toes.

God, in his all thunderous power and might, wants his people to first know him by his compassion and grace.

*Standing on the shore, I could stare out at the horizon forever and never find the water's end. The beauty of it all is breathtaking.

I think about God’s majesty and overwhelming beauty.

I look down and see the waves wash my feet. The King of the Universe is washing my feet.

*The wind picks up. The waves crash faster. The water hits my ankles more frequently.

I think about life’s storms. The harder life is, the closer I feel to God. The more I feel his presence crashing against me.

In calmer seasons of life, when it’s easier to depend on myself, I have to pay much closer attention to feel his gentle waves at my feet.

*I wade into the water. It’s cold. I’m scared to jump in. But something about it is soothing, and it draws me in.

I jump in. It’s jarring at first. But as I stay in the water, I get comfortable. And I’d rather be in than out. It feels better to stay submerged than to get out.

I think about how foreign it feels to come to God when I’ve been so distant. But when I jump back in, I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.

*It was morning, and the waves were ebbing. It was evening, and the waves were flowing. It was Monday when the water crawled along the shore. It was Thursday when the water soaked the sand.

I think about God’s steadfastness. No matter what I’m doing, he just keeps showing up. All I have to do is come to the shore.

If grace is an ocean, dunk me.