It was a vacation with my two best friends. We made it to the Gulf of Mexico — Port Aransas, Texas. Swimming, sand castles, and getting a sun tan were our plans. We all three were out swimming and riding the waves when all the sudden after a wave ride I realized I could no longer touch the ocean floor. I then realized that I had drifted a ways off from my friends and wasn’t close to anyone. I remember beginning to panic and holler for help but I was too far away for them to hear me and no life guard was on duty. Wave after wave crashed over me and I could see the beach slowly getting further away and the harder I tried to fight to swim the more I panicked and tired out. It all happened so fast! I quickly had to calm myself down, focus on consistent, timed swimming to hit the waves just right to get back to the beach. I remember thinking, “If I can at least touch the bottom then I’ll be okay!” I was terrified but as long as I could keep a hold of myself and try to stay calm then the better and more successful I was at getting closer to the beach. It felt like an hour before I was finally able to touch the bottom again and make my way back. I remember just collapsing onto the sand once I made it out of the water. I was exhausted and done swimming for the day. I have been in the ocean since then but took better caution at how far I went out. That experience is definitely not one that I would want to repeat. It could have so easily been worse.

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A lot of years have past since that day on the beach. Even though that experience has never repeated itself in a literal, physical sense, it feels like it has in a metaphorical way. Waves of life taking over and standing on your own two feet seems impossible. Life can have a way at times of feeling very overwhelming and it’s seems like a struggle to keep your head above water so to speak. It happens at some point to everyone. It’s just life. In my human nature, I want to fight back and try to fix whatever’s wrong and gain control quickly of the situation. Most of the time though I fall victim to worrying and overreacting. I tend to over exert myself in trying to gain control over something that I literally could never have control over. I exhaust myself mentally of the what ifs and worry. Once in that state of mind, it’s so easy to feel like you’re drowning in the problems of life and no one seems to hear your cry for help. For me personally, that’s when stress and anxiety kick in and that just makes it all the more worse.

Why is it that we tend to resort faster to the thing’s that could never help us?

Worry. Stress. Fear. Anxiety.

Currently, I’m learning how to navigate through said experience. Just the other day in the midst of all my frustration and anxiety this thought came to my heart:

Float on Faith.

I quickly began to realize that overreacting and exerting myself in worrying and stressing out over the situation is not going to help make it any better. It’s only making me mentally exhausted with anxiety and worried sick over something that I have no control over. Just like that day on the beach, I am realizing that trying to keep calm and think logically is actually the best thing I can do. If I try to fight and over work myself, I’m only going to feel like I’m drowning even more so. The best reaction I can have is to stay calm and let God help me swim. Let Him work while I choose to float on faith. Stay calm. Be still. God Is my Provider so why should I try to take the role of something that I am not? God is the Master of all and knows exactly what needs to happen and when. Why should I try to take over when His plan is best?

After some time spent in prayer, the lyrics of this old song immediately came to my heart:

I care not today what tomorrow may bring
If shadow or sunshine or rain
The Lord I know ruleth o'er everything
And all of my worry is vain

Living by faith (yes, living by faith)
In Jesus above (in Jesus above)
Trusting confiding (trusting confiding)
In His great love (yes, in His great love)
From all harm safe (from all harm safe)
In His sheltering arms (His sheltering arms)
I'm living by faith (I'm living by faith)
And I feel no alarm (feel no alarm)

I know that He safely will carry me through
No matter what evils betide
Why should I then care though the tempest may blow
If Jesus walks close to my side

Be still, and know that I am God

Psalm 46:10