“When I was down beside the sea…”
These words penned by Robert Louis Stevenson came to life for me when I, at almost 55 years old, finally got to see the ocean for the first time. The ocean is beautiful. It is overwhelming. The pictures I took couldn’t begin to reflect the experience of being there, of sensing the greatness of God in His creation and being amazed. Just like pictures of the ocean that I had seen throughout my life, they could not capture the vast beauty. This reminded me of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2:9: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” We can hear God’s Word, we can see examples of what He has done, but until we experience His presence and spend time with Him, we can’t really understand His love for us and His awesome nature.
The sky, the water and the scent of salty air were all pleasant to my senses. I loved walking along the beach with my bare feet, feeling the waves splash against my legs with their unceasing rhythm. As the waves came in and immediately retreated, I found the sand under my feet literally disappearing again and again. Words from my favorite hymn came to mind: “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.” For the first time in my life, I had a real understanding of what sinking sand is. It is unstable, constantly changing—most definitely temporary. John tells us in 1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or the things in the world” and he goes on to remind us in verse 17 that “the world is passing away along with its desires.”
As I thought about the sinking sand and related it to my favorite hymn, the word “all” stood out to me more than ever before. “ALL other ground is sinking sand.” Although I enjoyed walking along the shore for a time, I certainly wouldn’t want to have sinking sand everywhere I went for the rest of my life. Yet, in reality, absolutely every base this world offers me to walk on in life will not provide the security and stability I need. Only Jesus, the Solid Rock, is unchanging and solid. Peter expressed it well in Acts 4:12, speaking of Jesus as the cornerstone: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.”
What trip to the shore is complete without picking up some seashells? There were certainly lots of seashells along the shore in the shallow water. As the waves came in I would see a bright shell and try to grab it before it was carried away again. I soon realized this method was not very successful and started grabbing handfuls instead. Some of the shells seemed to have an iridescent glow under the water. When they were picked up and dried off, they didn’t have the same beauty or attractiveness. I thought about how many things in this world are like these shells. They attract our attention, but getting ahold of just the right one seems elusive. Then, when we do finally get ahold of something we desire, it seems to lose some of the appeal it had and we aren’t satisfied. That’s why Jesus told us not to look for treasures on earth, but to seek the lasting beauty of eternal treasures.
“When I was down beside the sea,” I was able to see some new things and I was able to see some things in a new way. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the experience. Hopefully, I won’t forget the reminders of truth that can help me stay focused on my Savior!
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