Sandbars and Beaches

Spent the day at Lake Michigan Friday. My family hung out with some friends at the beach in Grand Haven then went out on the lake for some deep sea swimming and some salmon fishing. Let's just say the the swimming was better than the fishing.


Anyway, my daughters, Emma (7), and Allison (5), loved the beach. They loved going out to the sandbar and bodysurfing in the big waves. They could spend all day in the water and never get tired of it. They are water bugs through and through.


It was interesting, though, when we went out on the boat to swim, only one of them wanted to jump in the deep water. One daughter jumped off the boat right away and started swimming away from it, basking in her new found freedom. (she had a life jacket of course). My other daughter was not so excited. I asked her and asked her to come in and she would just look at the water and refuse. Finally I bribed her to at least sit on the wood deck at the back of the boat and feel the water. So she did. After that, I bribed her again to get on my back and go in the water. She finally did. Then, she got out of the water and JUMPED back in on her own! What a frightening thrill it was for her. She ended up loving it! It was very comfortable for my girls to swim at the beach where they could stand on their own and see and touch the bottom. But when there wasn't the safety of the sandbar and beach, that changed for one of my girls.


Aren't we like that in our relationship with God? We love following God when we can "see" where we are going. We have no problem saying "yes" to God when we know we can do it in our own strength and ability. We enjoy God's presence at the sandbar and beach where it is safe.

So many people serve God in the shallow water where they can stand up and touch and see the bottom.


But what about when God asks you to go out to the deep water? You know, asks you to do something you are not quite sure about. Something that requires more faith than self reliance. Maybe something you have never done before.

Maybe God just wants you to draw closer to Him, but you are afraid because you don't know what's next.


I don't really care to swim at the beach. The water's cold, the sand is a mess, it's crowded. But going out on the lake where there's no bottom to stand on and no boundaries close by, I love that.


It is similar with God. There is so much more to our Christian life than sandbars and beaches.
Just like I was in the water holding out my arms asking my kids to jump to me, your heavenly Father, God, is holding out His arms calling you to come to Him.

Be brave. Take a risk. Be a thrill seeker.
Jump out into the deep water where only God knows what's next. You never know, you may just love it!