This past week my wife and I went on a much needed vacation to the panhandle of Florida. This vacation was enhanced by the fact that we got to share it with my parent and my grandmother (aka: granny). You have to understand that for me being a 14 hour trip away from the ocean is strange and undesirable. Most of my life I have been a day trip from the beach and water is a very important and enjoyable part of my life story. I love the water. I love swimming in it, playing in it, boating in it, and just enjoying the beauty of it.
It truly did my soul good to spend some time at the beach. I wanted to enjoy this vacation to the fullest so when we were packing the vehicle I was sure to include our swim stuff, bikes, and kayak (for good measure). My best friend and I had talked many times about kayaking on the ocean and riding the waves in and I wasn’t about to miss out on this experience. On the first morning after we arrived I walked out to get something from our vehicle and was astonished by a beautiful rainbow in the sky. There was peace upon seeing the rainbow as I felt the Lord saying that us being on this vacation was good.
Mel and I didn’t hesitate to go see the beach and we even woke up early to go and run on the beach the second day. Granny joined us because she also was very excited to see the beach. Everything was wonderful just like I had dreamed about in the weeks leading up to the vacation. The sand was a glorious, soft white color. The ocean was filled with beautiful translucent light blues, greens, aquamarines, and midnight blue colors. The waves were rolling in gently and the seagulls were singing high above as the pelicans lumbered along the ocean seeking out their morning breakfast.
I got to do everything I intended to do. I had a great time riding out on the kayak, paddling against the waves to the smoother water out in the deep. The gentle glide of the kayak through the water was almost ethereal as I watched my shadow dance along the shallow sand. I was in heaven as I sat and enjoyed the gentle rock of my boat back and force. It was so interesting to view the shore from such a different perspective. How beautiful to see the many umbrellas and chairs along the shoreline; to watch the children laugh and scream as the waves covered their feet, to see families walking along observing the sights; and to watch my family monitoring me, making sure I was okay and still in my boat. Bringing the kayak was truly worth it as I got to enjoy a few days of paddling out even experiencing a little kayak surfing and the challenge of paddling in rougher waters.
As the week went on, my wife and I enjoyed spending time together as we took a trip to Panama City beach to visit Wonderworks and the Ripley’s Believe it or not Museum. Wonderworks was by and far our favorite attraction as we enjoyed the many hands on exhibits it had to offer. We really had fun experiencing everything the museum had to offer from lying down on a bed of nails, to riding a 360 bike that took you upside down. The museum even had a ropes course and laser tag arena. Amidst all the fun the best part of the day was that we got to do it together. We even enjoyed a romantic dinner at Olive Garden where we enjoyed soup, salad, and breadsticks (yes even in 90 degree heat).
Later on in the week the waves at the beach really began to pickup because of tropical storm Don. Though Don did not hit in our area it churned through the gulf and raised the waves to levels I had not seen before. In light of this wonderful opportunity for wave boarding, I talked my wife into letting me get a quality wave board that is actually made for a 6’4” 200+ pound person. Dad even came out and rode the waves with me. We both had a lot of fun though the waves thrashed us all over the place. It was incredibly hard to stay standing, much less make it out to a good wave riding spot. Also I have to admit that these waves were intimidating. After the first couple of tries I learned that you couldn’t just throw your board in and gently ride to shore. No if you weren’t careful you would be pounded into the sand and tumbled to shore. Though this concerned me and definitely added a greater challenge to the wave riding adventure, I still continued to go out and try to conquer the mighty waves. Many times I failed miserably as the mighty ocean mopped the floor with me but every now and then I would get a hold of a wave just right and with lightning speed rush for the shoreline on a torrent of water. These moments made it all worthwhile.
On the last day, my dad and I were once again battling the mighty waves trying with all our might to land a couple good rides into shore. This day was even more powerful than the day before and the waves were truly brutal and incredibly difficult to ride. After spending about 45 minutes in this intense arena of waves, I decided I would try for one more epic wave and then come in and rest. My body was really getting tired and I knew I couldn’t take the beatings from the waves much longer. In trying to catch a ride on an epic wave I took myself out to far and got caught by a rip tide. Before I knew it I was past the point that I could touch, floating up and down to 6-8ft swells, and honestly at that point extremely scared. No amount of kicking was doing anything to bring me closer to shore and in fact it seemed as though I was just being pulled farther and farther out. As I watched my dad who was in a safe part of the ocean yell at me that I needed to come back in, it was all that I could do to not panic at the situation I had found myself in.
I began a very quick and desperate conversation with God and I relied completely on the buoyancy of the new wave board I had purchased. I honestly at that point had no idea what to do and had no strength to try to swim back in. I just sat there floating up and down with the swells praying that the Lord would deliver me from the situation I had put myself in. I cried out to Him to bring me a wave that would push me back to shore. Desperately I waited as I watched the waves behind me and observed my concerned father in front of me. Finally, a massive swell began to mount behind me and I knew that this would be my only chance to get to shore but also new this wave was to large for me to ride safely. My fear of be swept away completely from the shore outweighed my fear of the wave and so I positioned myself to ride the wave into the shore. As the wave continued to build higher and higher, I remember looking down the board and holding on for dear life. The wave crushed me on the bottom smearing my face and shoulder into the sand on top of creating some rather loud popping noises from my back and neck.
When I surfaced again, all I could feel was pain as I feared that my neck had been broken on the bottom of the deep. Suddenly my feet discovered the bottom again and I was able to stand. My eyes were closed due to the pain from the wounds I had sustained in the tumble but I was able to limp forward toward the shore. I felt every movement as I labored to the shore against the continual beating of the waves from behind. Once on dry land I slowly made my way back to where my family was sitting as I through squinting eyes found them. My walk was slow and painful with blood dripping off my brow but none of that mattered because I was alive and standing! Who cares about a few scrapes and bruises, those things could heal. I was just glad to be alive, to be on solid ground, and to be with my family who loves me.
When I asked God for a wave to bring me to shore, I had not intended to be crushed in the process. Sometimes we get ourselves into situations we shouldn’t and the pain is necessary for us to be released to freedom. The scars we gain as we break free from the nightmares we are or were in help to remind us what we have been delivered from and why we don’t want to go back to that place again. Have you been swept out to the sea of sin? Are you desperately crying out to Jesus to bring you back to the shore of grace and peace? Well hold on because our Lord will answer your prayers though you may not like how he does it. Always know that the Lord intends the best for you and sometimes pain is necessary for healing. If you can relate to this story, I hope that once you make it to shore that you can see past the pain you feel to the life you have been given and the love that surrounds you.
Blessings and peace to you.
