Is it beach day yet?

This past summer we would go to our favorite Albanian beach to enjoy a few hours each week. A short drive out of the neighborhood and the busy city of Tirana, to a place where I would try to forget all the "struggles" that we had been facing. 


We would carefully chose our beach spot, pay the 400 leke and claim our space under the beach umbrella. We would listen to the sea, watch the flurry of activities of other beachgoers and feel the sun on our faces. Around us were families, teens, "stuff sellers" of all kinds and even a stray dog or two. Each week, this became the time to look forward to. "Just get me to our "beach day!" I would say. 


While sitting on the beach, I would imagine God using the sea to take our difficult situation from our hands and into His. Holding sand in my hands, I would then release it and my troubles to Him. Another handful of sand represented another struggle, worry or a thought that I needed to give to God. Each week I had plenty of things to let go of. A trip to the sea was a way for me to cope with all that churned and swirled around and in us.

The Creator of this world is so much bigger than our situation. We are much like that tiny piece of sand in comparison to the big picture of time and space. 

Each week, while at the beach, I was reminded of these things: 
God loves and treasures us. 
God has a plan for us and His plan is best.

When our summer trips to the beach came to an end, we continued to wait, pray and seek God's direction through the unknowns. I thought, "Surely, the One who made the sea was able to direct our next steps."

Today, as we look back at last summer, we can vividly see how God brought us through that time. He was with us. He directed our steps. God knew what we needed and provided. His timing was and is perfect. 

Those "Get me to the beach!" days prepared my heart for the days that followed. God's plan for us was best; even if, going through the process was hard.  We can trust that God will never leave us alone on our journey.