Oceanside Altar

I stole away for an early morning walk on our vacation. The seaside (or lakeside) has always been a reverent, worshipful place for me. I left the house before anyone needed me too much, bundled up, and headed out to watch the sunrise colors transform God's incredible creation, the ocean.
As I walked, I prayed. I LOVE talking to my God and Saviour. How thankful I am to have Him to listen and guide and love me through life. I sang all the old hymns that came to mind, none more applicable at this moment then, "How Great Thou Art". I cried and talked and cried and listened. God uses these moments in our life to reveal so much I believe. In the distance I saw a beautiful piece of wood. When I reached it, I knelt at my oceanside altar that God provided and spilled out my heart and soul to Him. Oh, that all of my days might end up in similar fashion!! On my long walk back I struggled with walking in the sand. I tried the higher sand farther away from the wet waves, but it just sunk under my feet. Each step I took felt like I wasn't getting very far. Slowly I meandered down closer to the wet sand. I conjectured that perhaps the wet sand might be firmer and easier to walk on top of -- even though logically this didn't make sense to me. Sure enough, the closer I got to the waves, the firmer the ground beneath my feet was. As I rejoiced in this small wonder (when you're 5 days into a lazy vacation, these sorts of things bring a lot of joy!), I realized how telling this was for our lives. You see, I am a cautious person. My comfort zone is to be high up, in that soft sand, away from the risk of getting my shoes wet on a cold, blustery morning along the ocean. But in it -- I don't get very far! I might be dry, but I'm missing out! That morning, I felt that God was giving me a simple illustration into living along side the challenging moments of life ... willing to take the risks ... and trusting Him with my "dryness". All of life for me these past 7 months has been big and small lessons on LETTING GO. God is in control. By trusting Him with every step, He will provide firm foundation for me to walk on. Praise God. Praise His holy name.