I spent the last few days sitting on sandy shores and dipping my toes in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a beautiful experience, that I wouldn’t trade for all the world.

It was wonderful to feel the sand between my toes, to hear the waves crashing against the shore, and to smell the salty sea. Seafood tastes better when it’s fresh out of the water.It was cool to look out over the sea, and not be able to tell where sky stopped and the sea started. But the biggest sensory experience occurred in my spirit.

I noticed that as the waves first hit my skin, the waters felt icy, but the longer I stayed in the water the more comfortable I became. That’s just like sin. The longer you’re in it, the more your body and spirit adjust, until it’s no longer uncomfortable or shocking.

I never understood what “sinking sand” was until I stood on coastal shores. I would plant my feet on what I thought was a solid patch of ground. Every time the tide rolled in and out, the ground beneath me began to shift, until my toes were completely submerged. If I stayed in one spot for too long, even the gentlest wave could knock me off balance.

I also experienced a mild form of sea sickness from staring at the waves. It caused me to feel like I was moving when standing still. It felt like I was on one of those moving sidewalks at airport. Because everything around me was moving, (the wind, the waves, and the birds over head), I felt like i was moving, too. It was an optical illusion. The only way i could get my sense of balance was to fix my eyes on an immobile object, something completely unaffected by the winds and the waves, something steadfast and unmoveable, an anchor, if you will.

Are waves crashing into you at the moment? Are you in over your head or are you standing in ankle deep water, fooling yourself into thinking you’re swimming? Wherever you find yourself on the journey, I pray that you navigate the waters successfully, and find peace on your journey.