Hey everyone! Here’s some thoughts for you today that have been rolling around in my brain. It’s past the beach season, but for many of us, a trip to the beach is a summer necessity. Well, not really a necessity, but we do love the sand between our toes, the way the sun glistens on the water, the warmth of all that vitamin D soaking into our skin, and a good seafood restaurant. Right?

You might agree with me that of the most fun and most challenging parts of the beach is the waves. We seem to have a love–hate relationship with waves. As little kids we chase them out, then run from them as they come back in. During our teen years, we dive right into them or challenge them to knock them down. As we get older (like me), we walk out cautiously and plant our feet in the hope that we stay upright when the larger-than-expected wave hits us. For all ages, a wave is capable of a surprise attack, knocking us down and shoving us under the water, leaving us to catch our breath and steady ourselves.  

Life, itself, is a like the waves in an ocean. It’s full of beauty and inconsistency and joy and danger. It’s true. Waves and life can both be thrilling one minute and terrifying the next. Certainly, 2020 has been like a wave that doesn’t seem to quit. 

When a strong wave of water hits me, my impulse is always to reach for someone close to me to help me stay up—get balanced—help me stabilize. The same is true with the waves of life. On my toughest days, I have reached out to hold the hand of a faithful friend. When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, when my dad passed away, when I was extremely sick—-through all of life’s toughest waves, I reached out for help. While reaching out is so important, most important, is learning to reach up.  Friends and family who love us can offer so much comfort, but only God can be with us at all times. When friends and family go home, God remains ready to steady us in our unsteadiness. The bible is full of verses of that confirm this. I thought it would be helpful to read through a few of them today. 

Roman 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  I love how this verse says, “as you trust in Him.” When I’m about to be knocked down by a wave, I’ve noticed that I don’t think too much about who is next to me, I just reach out and hope for the best, but when I am knocked down in life, I want real help. I want someone who knows me and loves me and wants to help me. That is who God is. As this verse says, he wants you and me to overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t you love that word “overflow”? It means to be more than we need, more than we ask for, more than we even think possible. God is ready to be that for you!

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 tells us, “ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Again, I love this verse. It confirms that God is the father of compassion capable of comforting any troubles that come our way. But, it also says why He does that. It’s so we can comfort others. We can be the hand others reach out for when the waves threaten to knock them down. Saving each other, being there for each other, is the heart of believers. 

And, finally, let’s look at Matthew 11:28-30. It tells us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus is imploring us to come to Him, particularly when we’re weary and burdened. What? Yes, that what He tells us in this verse. Back to our wave example, how you ever reached out when you’re about to fall and your friend or sibling says, “Don’t grab me. I can barely hold myself up!” Jesus will never say that. In fact, it’s just the opposite. He says come to Him, call Him, reach out to Him, and hold His hand. At the time Jesus said these words, many of the people of Israel were turning their back on Jesus and His teaching. It was at this point that He began to focus on individuals who believed in Him. He offers the same invitation to you and me today that He offered those who followed Him on foot to open fields, mountain tops, and sea shores. One of my favorite phrases in this verse is, “you will find rest for your soul.” When life gets out of control, rest is what we seek and Jesus offers that. That’s comfort. 

I hope you all are surviving this year. I know that, beyond covid, your life has been full of ups and downs in 2020. That is life. My prayer is that you reach up to God to lift you up and over every wave that comes your way; that you have people in our life to reach out to who are dependable and affirming; and that you know, when the wave passes, there is sweet rest waiting for you in His hands.