The Beach
The beach
The beach is one of my favorite places to reflect. I always seem to hear God’s voice a little louder there.
This week while watching my children playing in the sand and water, I found myself overcome with anxiety. Anxiety about all sorts of things…like them getting sunburned or them swimming too far out, especially with the waves and riptide. I couldn’t seem to focus on anything else but keeping my eyes on them. Counting all 6 of them and constantly reminding them if they had ventured too far.
This made me reflect on the heart of our heavenly father…
Just as a mother watches after her babies carefully at the beach…God watches over all of his children the same no matter the age or season of life.
As I watched an unexpected wave knock my curious 4 year old off of her tiny feet, it made me think of all the times life knocks us down when we least expect it. The waves may be big and scary at times, and the water we tread may be murky and unknown. God never lets any of his children out of his sight or reach.
I’m currently in a season of motherhood where I’m caught in the balance of holding on and loosening my grip.
Dancing in between those two places can be exhausting. Like a constant game of tug a war. Giving a little, then knowing when to pull back on the reigns and boundaries.
Navigating the Teenage years aren’t easy. I like to think of parenting teens as the ultimate test of faith. With two on the brink of high school years, I find myself at times wishing my oldest ones were still reaching up for my hand, instead of outgrowing me. I can remember obsessively watching their tiny preemie chests moving up and down while they slept peacefully in their cribs. When people told me that time was a thief, I didn’t expect the thief to be so cruel and to rob us so quickly.
Something I am learning in this season is this….
Just like God gives us free will to make our own choices, sometimes in parenting we must do the same. We have to blindly trust that when they aren’t in our sight or within our reach, that we’ve equipped them enough. That their morals and convictions will give them the confidence to know how to navigate life and peer pressure in a big world. We also have to give them space to make mistakes. Lots of mistakes. Because I know there will be plenty of those. No matter how much we’d like to shield them from every big or intimidating wave that may knock them down, that just isn’t possible. There will be moments when thick fog and clouds of fear and anxiety will make it hard for them to navigate the waters. My goal is that they know who to cling to in those moments. As a mother, I hope that they always call home no matter how old they are. No questions asked. I would battle a sea full of sharks or swim the deepest oceans to get to them. That is the epitome of a mother’s love. It makes me emotional thinking how great God’s love is. A love that is so great, it cannot be fathomed. As much as we love our babies, he loves them even more.
Just like we cannot see where the ocean ends when we look upon the horizon…we also can say that about God’s love, mercy, and grace for each of us. The same God that knows every grain of coarse sand beneath our feet, also has numbered every freckle on our faces and each hair on our heads. I find comfort in knowing that In any season or circumstance we serve a God who walks on the water, can silence the wind, the waves, and any storm. And even when he allows them, he NEVER takes his eyes off of any of his children.
