Who Is In Control?

Having grown up just an hour from the ocean, I have many vivid memories of childhood trips to the Jersey Shore.

That was back in the day when you could just enjoy a day on the beach, instead of being consumed with today’s concerns. There was no such thing as sunblock. I had no fear of sharks or jellyfish or pollution. I didn’t care what others thought of how I looked in my swimsuit.
We just enjoyed ourselves in the sun, with the Coleman cooler of food, and fun in the ocean!
I remember:
* the excitement during our drive there, when we began to see sand along the sides of the roads.
* the slightly fishy smell as we stepped out of the pickup truck.
* hearing the sound of the waves, before actually seeing them crash against the shore.
* the feel of the hot sand between my toes.
* the taste of drying saltwater on my lips.
* sun so bright, I needed to squint to see anything, but no matter how hard I focused, I couldn’t see where the ocean met the sky.
* being amazed by how powerful the ocean was, when I would be knocked off my blow-up raft, get sucked under the water, and fight against the waves until my smiling face once again touched the sunshine.

I know that I am SUPER blessed to have had parents who took us to the shore, so we could have those experiences growing up!
Now, as an adult, I still love the ocean!

Because my sister & her husband live in Florida, this past year I was blessed to spend 2 weeks in Florida, on the ocean! The first week was with my teenage niece, Alexis. The second week was with my Mommy. I had a TON of fun, enjoying the ocean with them!

I still stand on the sand, amazed by the power and beauty of the waves!

I am still someone who goes to the beach to actually get in the water, because I still love bobbing around to the rhythm of those rocking waves!

I still drive away with a smile on my face, remembering a fun-filled day!

BUT, I also view a day at the shore much differently than when I was younger!
~ like getting a headache from the glaringly bright sun,
~ the grating sand inside your swimsuit that gets transferred to your car, your clothes, and your tub,
~ the inevitably burned skin and chapped lips,
~ the unintentional gulps of germy saltwater,
~ your bottle of ice water that too quickly turns the unappealing temperature of bath water,
~ the annoying birds that want to steal your sandwich…

All these memories (good and bad) came pouring into my mind today when I read Job 38:8-11. It says: God said, “Who created the ocean? Who caused it to be born? I put the clouds over it as though they were its clothes…I fixed limits for it…I said, ‘You can come this far. But you can’t come any farther. Here is where your proud waves have to stop.’”

Besides all my memories of the ocean ~ these verses also remind me that God is in control! Just like the ocean gave me both positive memories and not-so-positive memories, God being in control brings both wonderfully comforting thoughts and not-so-easy to accept facts.
     God is in control means He is at work in each of our lives!
     God is in control means He has a design for each of our lives!
     God is in control means He has given us everything we have!
Job 1:21 says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave me everything I have. It was His to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!”
And, Job 2:9-10 reminds us, “…Shall we take only good things from the hand of God? Shall we never take any bad things?…We accept good things from God. So we should also accept trouble when He sends it.”
     God is in control means He doesn’t always give us what we want when we want it.
     God is in control means He allows things (or people) to be taken from our lives.
     God is in control means we don’t get to know what tomorrow might bring.
BUT ~ even in the midst of all this, He is still working in our lives and He is still in control.
These are lessons that He wants each of us to obediently accept, even before we understand.
So, because He knows best, we need to first CHOOSE to allow Him to have control! If we’re trying to run things, then we are living in disobedience.
As I reminded a class of middle schoolers this week ~ EVERY TIME we disobey, there IS a consequence! Every time…
Job 5:17-18 says, “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal.”
If we are living a life yielded to the Savior, we can look forward to blessings to come as He reveals His will for our lives! Blessed be the name of the Lord!

To my Brothers and Sisters in Christ ~ PLEASE keep me in your prayers!  Yes, I am still planning on going to the international mission field for another short-term trip.  Yes, I have been accepted by 2 missions organizations.  Yes, one of them has offered me placement.  BUT ~ I am still prayerfully seeking direction on which way I should turn... I am expecting a phone call this coming week with more details about another placement.  I am hoping that call will bring much awaited answers.  Meanwhile, I am still substitute teaching, trying to walk obediently, trying to daily surrender, and trying to accept that peace that passes all understanding!  So, please pray with me!