I love the beach. It’s one of my favorite places to be. Life, and marriage, can be like a beach, but it’s not always the way I think that saying is supposed to mean.
For most of the first 25 years of our marriage, it was hard. I don’t mean every day, and all the time, but it was an overarching reality.
Within the first 11 years of our marriage, two of our three children were born with congenital cardiac defects. We were thrown into a world of sick children, doctor appointments, hospitalizations, medical expenses, and constant stress.
Johnny had 6 job changes during this same time period. That was a constant source of stress for me. We experienced surgeries, death, and grief along with all the other “normal” stressors of marriage.
When I think about life and how hard it can be at times, it does remind me of the beach. But, in a different kind of way. There are two different perspectives when you are at the beach. One is when you are sitting on the beach and looking at the ocean waves. The other is being out in the ocean. It can be calm, but it can also have a wave that takes you under. You know the kind of “take you under” where your body is being thrown around like a rag doll and you have no control. So many times, that was me. I would just come up for air and the next wave would hit me.
*******************************************************************************************
"For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it." ~Jeremiah 5:22
*******************************************************************************************
Sometimes life is like that. Wave after wave. We feel battered by the relentless trials of life.
We need to learn to allow ourselves to get on the beach and catch our breath.
Wrap in a clean towel, dry off, and let the sun warm us.
Maybe that means:
Giving yourself permission to admit this is a hard season
Getting help
Self-care
Permission to do something enjoyable.
The reality is, we can’t always stay on the warm, dry sand. The waves will roll in. But be wise in how you use your beach time.
“Life can be a beach”, but it may feel more like pounding waves. So, when you get on the sand, make the most of it. Even if just for a little bit.
~Carla