I have no desire to cross the ocean, feet planted on the deck of a ship, waves pounding the bow- no, that is not for me. But on sad days, in lonely moments, when my world feels heavy, I need the sea. I need to stand by the water, to hear the waves lap or crash upon the sand. I meet God by the sea.

That’s not entirely true, though. I meet Him everywhere. I meet Him when I open my eyes in the morning. I meet Him in my car. I meet Him in the kindness of strangers. Of course, I meet Him the most in His word.

But there are days when the sea is where I must meet Him- my friend, my Savior. I whisper my fears and my hopes to the waves, knowing my Father in heaven can catch them before they get lost in the spume. We wrestle by the sea. I beg for answers. I stand in silence. I marvel.

I marvel at a god that can count the grains of sand and knows my name. I wonder at the one that channels the winds and cares for the minnows. I am in awe of the creator I share with the tides.

By the sea I am small. I am insignificant.

And that’s ok… because I am.

Without the overwhelming sacrifice of my Lord Jesus, that is all I would ever be. I would forever be a captive to my own shortcomings, my own sins, and my own folly. But because of that sacrifice, I am the daughter of a king- with rights and responsibilities fitting a heavenly command, and the concerns that weigh so heavily on my mind, the ones that keep me up at night, all fade away when I meet God by the sea.

My sweet family has gone away for the night. Tomorrow is a day off for the kids, and while I had initially planned to take the day off too, I decided it was best to go in- after all, I missed four days last week from sickness. Since the daycare is closed, they are going to the new house for the day and they will spend time with my mom and sister. So I’m here, in our basement palace, missing them desperately, but also excited about only having myself to get ready in the morning. I talked to them on the phone before they went to bed, and by now they should be deep into their dreams, snuggled in their beds. I’m counting down the hours until I see them again. 🙂