Facing the Ocean

I’m so blessed to be sitting on a balcony, listening to the ocean as I write this. The sun is burning away the fog over the water and the temperature is slowly rising. Being at the beach in October makes for a slower, cozy morning…

I can’t help but compare the area we are staying in to our typical favorite vacation spots. It makes me feel a bit high-maintenance, but that may be reality. 😬 There are huge buildings lined up along the beach, each with a potential capacity of one thousand people, it seems. Some have a nice-enough feel, others I would name “Trashy Karaoke Resort.” 😂

Many high-rises are old and in need of repair and remodeling. And when you watch the people around said area, it makes you ache a bit. I wonder what their stories are. I wonder who hurt them. I wonder what they’re trying to escape, drown out, and who has been missing in their lives.

But as I ponder these things from my “high balcony” - literally and metaphorically - I pause. These people are no different than the ones where I prefer to stay. Their bank accounts and “look” may be the only things that are truly different. And if I dig even deeper and tap into the depths of my own heart - honestly, they’re no different than me, either. 

Our backgrounds and upbringing may be different. Our appearance and tastes may vary. But how often do I realize I’m also trying to drown out or escape something? How many times do I act out of a place of woundedness rather than healing? How I, too, can find myself living in the voids rather than running to the endless fountain that is my Savior, Who is ever-pursuing my heart!

As I ponder these things, I’m humbled. It also makes me think about how in our journeys - much like this trip I’m on - you have to tune out the noise, the chaos, the ugly. And focus on the beauty in front of you, let go of the burdens that weigh you down, and rest. Enjoy. Make memories. Love. Be filled. 

When I face the ocean, I am in awe, and I take deeper, slower breaths. I think about the power and “bigness” of God and I’m amazed He still cares so intimately about me. If I turn and face the land, I’m easily overwhelmed and distracted. Yet I’m still standing in the same spot. But if my back is to the chaos, I’m in the same world without it pulling me down. I’m focused on what I CAN control: and that is nothing. I’m being calmed, spoken to, and held. 

Whether it’s the culture that seems like a disaster, or aches within my own family that I feel helpless to change, I can be part of it, without it defining me, overtaking my heart, or dictating my days. 

It’s easier said than done, but I pray for God to train my heart to remember to “face the ocean.”