Have you ever stood at the edge of the ocean's shore and allowed the tips of your toes to touch the sea? As the tide begins to move in, the water continues to cover up more of your feet. If you stand there long enough, you'll be ankle deep, waist deep, and then completely consumed. As a gal who grew up with a little bit of salt behind her ears, one of my favorite ways for my soul to be "quieted" and to reflect is to stand on the ocean's edge. There is peace there. The tide goes in and out. The water--in and out. Like my heartbeat, the rhythms of the waves are steady.
Now, the events in my life aren't always steady. They are rarely predictable. But with each event and season that comes, my heart has disciplined itself to become steady. Because, my heart is steady in the goodness and nature of the One who resides there: Jesus.
But it's not always easy--especially when the world's chaos ensues. And the lies of the enemy try to crash into my mind. But like the steadiness of the tide, the truth remains constant.
A word of wisdom was spoken to me a few years ago and it wasn't until recently that it's begun to spring up in my heart. The revelation has come! He said this: When pain and difficulty occurs, it is important to talk about the challenge. It is vital to let out all the poison. But then there is a time for "letting it go." True healing has occurred when you no longer need to speak about the pain. Or, if you do speak of it there is only LIGHT. There is only LOVE. There isn't pain. There is complete forgiveness.
The story isn't who we are. The pain isn't who we are. Who we are is this: Beautiful. A beautiful daughter/son of God.
So, as I reflect on the tide that conveys the "comings and goings," I've realized that like the tide, I am called be steady. Steady in my heart. Steady in my faith. Steady in forgiveness. Steady in the knowledge of who I am in Jesus.
Steady. Secure. Certain.
Especially in the uncertainty.
