Life’s Tides

This was high tide at the little inlet close to our rental.

A really beautiful phenomenon at the beach was the changing of the tides. This inlet was gorgeous at high tide. I wanted to get a picture of it every time we passed over it, which was a lot. It was different every time because the tide was different every time. People who live in this part of the country live their lives around the tides.

The fishing, shrimping and crabbing industries are heavily dependent on the tides. The kayak industry is as well. We rented kayaks one day on the trip. Paddling against the current is really hard, but going with it is tricky too because you can sail right past your intended destination.

The same little inlet at low tide.

It’s amazing that this is the same little inlet isn’t it? It went from gorgeous to ugly and muddy. Kayaks went down it earlier in the day. Now it’s barren; or is it?

My son and I went in for a closer look at low tide and were kind of surprised at what we found. It was teeming with life. There were tiny crabs everywhere, hundreds of them, ducking in and out of little holes. There was a giant conch shell walking around. I didn’t even know they had legs! There were water birds feasting on unseen critters near the rocks. What was seemingly an ugly wasteland was not. It actually had a beauty of its own.

This bird is enjoying low tide.

I began to think of the tides in our lives. Sometimes they are high and the sailing is easy and smooth. We don’t hit bottom. We are surrounded by goodness and beauty.

But sometimes the tide is low. Life can look desolate. Maybe it’s due to sickness, death, the loss of a job, broken relationships or betrayal of trust. Sometimes we feel devoid of all that is good and growing, like this inlet looks from road.

But, upon closer inspection, it’s often during those times, that we feel closest to God. It’s during those times that friends come out of the woodwork to help us and show us love, to stand by us. It’s during those times that we experience the most growth.

Remember the story of the footprints in the sand, where the man asked God why during the worst times in his life there was only one set of footprints? He wanted to know why God abandoned him when times were the toughest. God gently replied, “That’s when I carried you.”

And so it is with the low tides of life. When things look bleakest, we need to take heart. There is work going on. There is life. We are loved more than we know and God has a plan even when we can’t see it. The tide will rise again and so will we. That is a promise from the One who created us.

Nothing is ever wasted and we are not alone even when the tide is low. That’s when we should seek God the most.

What do you think about life’s tides? I’d love to hear from you.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂