While on vacation a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of taking some morning walks on the beach. The morning is my favorite time to be at the beach; the sun isn’t too hot, and the beach is usually void of people. One morning, as I enjoyed my walk, I started connecting spiritual truths to the things I saw.
You will get wet if you walk too close to the water. The water at a beach isn’t like a pool, river, or lake. The beach has waves. These are constant, but their strength is random and unpredictable. Every so often, a strong wave will appear splashing water several feet further on the beach than usual. If you walk close to the water, you will eventually get wet.
While this may be a welcome experience on the beach, this is a great lesson on the dangers of living too close to the world. Despite the warning of Scripture to come out from the world and “abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. 5:22; c.f. 2 Cor. 6:17), some Christians ignore the danger and enjoy walking as close to the world as they can. Eventually, to no one’s surprise, they will get splashed with the filth of the world.
Your footprints quickly disappear. Morning walks on the beach will leave footprints in the sand. However, these markers of your presence are quickly washed away by the waves and the tides.
Most people want their life to matter. They want to know the time they have spent will make a difference and leave a mark. The reality is that the things we have done in this physical world will eventually disappear. A couple of generations after we are gone, our memory will be gone from the people living in this world. In recent years, we have seen that statues memorializing people are easily removed.
Jesus wants us to appreciate the lasting importance of our spiritual footprints. The things we do and decisions we make for eternity are what should matter the most. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:19-20). “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).
The things in this life that really matter are the things and people we can bring to the Lord when this life is over.
The waves keep coming. As noted, the presence of constant waves is what makes the beach different from any other body of water. They never stop. The Bible uses this figure to express the way God wants to bless His people. “Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea” (Is. 48:18, emphasis mine – HR).
Just as the waves continue to wash on the beach, God continues to give us everything we need. Often, we can see that His blessings are in abundance of our need. “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).
The waves can also be looked on as the troubles of life. Solomon tells us such times are a natural part of the cycle of living under the sun (Eccl. 3:1-8). While the waves of life may differ in severity (some of them can knock us over and wash away the things we have accomplished), none of them last forever.
We serve a mighty and merciful God. This world is full of wonders that speak of His divine wisdom and power. These earthly wonders reflect heavenly truths to us if we take the time to see them.