Restless Ocean

Tonight, I stood at the beach and looked up and down the shore. I noticed all the pretty lights the night near the water can offer and the planes flying out of LAX overhead definitely added to the soundtrack of the night. I was supposed to be taking part in a church gathering but couldn't get my head or my heart into so I walked toward the water. As I sat near the edge of the breaking waves, I had a monumental thought:

So many times, I feel like when we "listen" to God, we hear him say "Come to the Ocean..get in, trust me." And our response to that polite, quiet calling is often, "okay, God..I'll come." And then we bring all our baggage, our beach towels, our umbrellas, our sunscreen, our beach-reads and set up shop on the sand. Often times, we're content to just stay on the beach because I mean, hey, we're near the ocean where God called us, right? I couldn't shake the fact that for a long time in LA, I've been just hanging out on the proverbial shore. God called me to the Ocean--large, open, deep, unknown, cleansing, freeing. But all I've done is hang out (sometimes quite literally)--often with friends--CHRISTIAN FRIENDS at that--but never actually trusted and obeyed God enough to fully immerse myself in what He has to offer me. By surrounding myself with what is CLOSE to what God has for me, I've missed the major point of all He is wanting me to experience. I'm NEAR his will but not IN IT. And that hit me like a ton of bricks. And as I sat on the little hill staring into the waves, I kept thinking, "But it's dark. And there are things in the water I can't identify...and it's a little scary at night. Who knows what will happen?" So I walked closer to the waves and let one come over my toes. Then another, then I remembered how good the waves and the wet, cool sand felt on my feet. I walked by that dark mass that I couldn't quite make out from further back and what was it? It was an old boogie board washed to shore. Seriously? I was hesitant to get in the water because of that?

How many times do we let our irrational explanations curb our enthusiasm for what God has promised us is well worth our energy? He has goals and experiences in store for us that extend farther than our wildest imagination. If we submerge ourselves in what He has and totally trust the one that HELLOOO, MADE US!! wouldn't we be happier? If we quit pretending that we've gone the full distance while we know that the destination is very close in front of us, we could maximize both our potential for growth and faithfulness.

I guess I've gotten to the point where I don't have many options left. I'm tired of being complacent and I like the beach too much to leave, so I better get in the water. I'll just start swimming towards the deep and unknown.

" And I remember when I was just a kid listening in the sky when the wind would stir. And I found out the river is deep and the currents are tricky. And the river is wide and the currents are strong. And I may lose every dream I dreamt that I could carry with me. But I've failed so many times..and you've never let me fall down alone."--Rich Mullins