Caught in the Undertow?

The chill factor today is 37. Since our weather has been cold and dreary lately, I decided to share something I wrote a couple of years ago while on my way to Galveston, Texas, when the temperature was hitting a high of 100 degrees. At least I felt warm editing this article for my blog.

The beach is a wonderful place to have fun. There’s an excitement surrounding your arrival as you first step onto the sandy shore. Anticipation builds as you remove items from your car in preparation of the fun that lies ahead. It can be hot outside, but the sea water feels cool to your toes as you wade into the surf. Wading a little deeper, you can begin to feel the pull of the current. Once you are waist deep in the water, your body finds it difficult to resist the current’s tugging, but you still have a good measure of control. At chest level, the battle between you and the surf is raging and if you continue to go even deeper, you will lose all control unless you are a strong swimmer. Even if that is the case, it will be a struggle to stay afloat. The waves are powerful and knock you off your feet. Laughing and enjoying the rush of the unexpected tumble, you quickly scramble to regain your footing when another wave hits you square in the face. You are gasping for breath, having swallowed a considerable amount of salt water which is setting your sinuses on fire. Here comes another wave and then the sea becomes calm, almost serene. As you look out to sea, you can see that the waves will soon be hitting you again and you must decide whether to take advantage of the current calmness to escape or to catch your breath and get ready for more assaults from the angry waves.

At times we all are tempted to do something we know we should not do and we wade into sin. We think we can just “test the waters” and put our toes in a little. We get accustomed to the sin and wade in a little deeper as sin pulls us. This isn’t too bad, so we go a little farther and a little deeper into the sin. Suddenly, we find we are being pulled deeper into the sin and it becomes difficult to resist the current that sways us. The power of sin becomes greater than our willpower. We find we have lost all control and are not strong enough to escape the stronghold.
There are lifeguards at the beach to safeguard swimmers and to save lives. They accomplish this at times by issuing a warning with their whistle if you get too close to danger. They use a whistle because a voice cannot be heard over the roar of the waves. The warning can be issued, but it is up to the swimmer to heed the warning. If a swimmer gets too far from shore, even the whistle cannot be heard. We all have lifeguards in our lives – our pastor, teacher, friends and family – who in love issue warnings to help direct our paths. God has issued warnings and instructions in Scripture to direct our paths. If you don’t have a time daily to study the Word, you may find yourself drifting too far from shore and unable to hear or unwilling to heed the warnings.

While swimming at the beach you have fun jumping waves and enjoying the water and sunshine. You turn to wave to your friends who remained on the shore and suddenly realize they are gone. The umbrella is gone, the lawn chairs are gone, the ice chest, blanket, towels – everything and everyone is gone! Panic hits and you continue to scan the shoreline. You look for your car; it’s nowhere in sight. Everything around you looks foreign, unfamiliar. Then you realize you are the one who has moved. The undertow has pulled you down the shore several hundred yards without you even taking notice. In the distance you can barely see your family and friends. You are amazed you got this far away from them. Anxious to get back, you begin to walk in the water, pushing your weight against the undertow. You try to move quickly, but meet heavy resistance. You are no match for the force of the water against your body. You can continue, but decide to get out of the water and walk on the sand. Now you can reach your destination quicker, with much less effort. Your family and friends welcome you as they could not find you and were worried about where you were.

When we allow ourselves to get involved in sin, we put distance between us and God and between us and those we love. There is an old saying, “Sin will take your father than you ever wanted to go.” Just like the undertow in the ocean, sin pulls you away from friends, family and God. A holy God cannot look upon sin. As long as sin continues and there is no repentance, the distance remains and the fellowship is broken. But there is good news! We have a lifeguard, a lifesaver, Jesus Christ, who gave His life so that we might have abundant life here on earth and eternal life in heaven. If you have ventured too far from shore, why not get out of the water and run back to Jesus? It is never too late. If you’ve never met this Savior, there is no better time than right now! He is waiting on you! John 3:16.

Remember, His mercies are new every morning – go live life to the fullest this week! God Bless.
Candy