Strong Undertow

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 trip to the beach is every kid’s dream!  Building sandcastles, riding waves, digging in the sand, chasing waves, and body surfing are better than any theme or amusement park could ever be!  Some of my fondest memories are tied to our vacations at the shore.  I remember playing in the sand with my shovel and bucket, building sandcastles with my brother and collecting shells with my parents.  But the most fun we had was playing in the surf; it was also the most dangerous even though I didn’t know it.

During vacation, we would sleep later than usual.  After breakfast, we would head down to the shore and spend the entire day playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean.  We would also take rubber rafts with us to the beach for my dad to blow up.  He was always tired after he did this and I never understood that!!!  I do now!!!  Anyway, we would take our rafts out and ride the waves back to shore. On our way to ride the waves, mom would always say the same thing, “Keep your eyes on me and don’t drift too far down the beach!”

Like any kid, I screamed out “Ok mom” as I ran for the water.  All the while I wondered what she meant about drifting.  I was going to be right in front of her and I didn’t plan on going anywhere.  Ending up way down the beach, out of the sight of my parents wasn’t a part of my plan.  However, that is exactly what happened because I didn’t understand the concept of the undertow.

When you are at the beach, the water comes in and goes out at a specific angle.  Since I was no match for the Atlantic Ocean, I was carried right along with it.  Even when we were standing still, my brother and I were moving down the beach in keeping with the motion of the waves and the pull of the undertow.  Each time we emerged from the water on our rafts, I noticed we were further and further down the beach.  I would locate my parents on the shore and drag my raft back to our location.  I would start playing in front of mom and dad and in a little while, I would find myself back down the beach, away from our spot. Now I understood what mom meant when she told us to keep them in sight.

The writer of Hebrews gives the same advice to us today.  He knew that the sea of life has a strong undertow that can easily pull us out to sea and away from our daily walk with God.  He also knew that if we are to keep our bearings straight, we must keep our focus on Jesus, making sure we know where he is at all times.  The writer also knew that we must constantly adjust our position, keeping Jesus as our point of reference in order to find our way back when we drift down life’s shoreline.

In Hebrews 12:2 we read, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Notice the opening words of this passage.  The writer admonishes us to keep our eyes fixed—glued—on Jesus.  He is to be the point of reference according to which we make every move.  As soon as I emerged from the water I looked to find my parents.  Their location on the beach was an instant indication as to how far I had drifted.  I had moved; they had not!

Jesus does not move.  God’s word does not flow and ebb like the tide.  It is rock solid and stable, a fixed point on life’s horizon by which we set our spiritual compass.  The undertow of life’s sea is strong.  It carries us along imperceptibly.  Until we take note of where Jesus is, we will never know how far from God we have drifted.  We must always keep looking to the shore to find out just how far away we are from where he wants us to be.  Jesus marks the place on life’s shoreline where we must remain focus.  He marks the place where we must return each time we drift in life.  How are you handling life’s strong undertow today?