Bom Dia!
We are in Recife, Brazil which is on the northeast coast of the country and it has a completely different feel than Sao Paulo. This is a beach "town"! Our hotel is right on the beach and I can see the ocean from my tiny balcony. This is as close as I will get to going in the beach though, because our guides tell us that it is "not recommended" for us to walk on the beach. Too dangerous. Gangs and thieves have been known to assault people there and rob them.
But it's calling my name! "No," she said. "If you want to join us tomorrow don't go on the beach today".
It's seems cruel to have the ocean so close that I can see and smell it; the sand, the sun, the waves.. and yet you can't go to it. It made me think, what beauty in our lives can we not get to because the enemy has taken it as his territory. Relationships we don't pursue because we're afraid of being hurt, the freedom that could be ours if we conquered that addiction, or the joy we'd find if we risked our pride and tried something new.
Like Peter getting out of the boat and walking on water while the others stayed in the boat. (Matthew 14: 22-32) I don't want to be the "others", do you?
So I will honor the warnings of our guides who know what is wise and not go on the beach. But I will do it not because the enemy has made me afraid but because my Lord has provided me with wise guides and counselors that I trust for this part of the journey. And I will stretch my neck on my balcony and take in as much of the ocean air I can and praise God that there is that same ocean a thousand miles away and I can swim in that one. We share the Atlantic with our Brazilian brothers and sisters and yet our experiences can be so different. I won't take the safety, comfort and protection of living in America for granted. I am not entitled to it, it is a gift.
Chao,
Tracey
Posts
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful reflection and for doing such wonderful things in God's name!