My family went out for a beach picnic with our household friends. Horseshoe Bay is one of Bermuda’s best beaches but for some reason the waves today were peculiarly so high and the rip currents were strong. For an adventurous guy like me, I went ahead and faced the waves. Suddenly my 2 year old son wanted to join me. If there’s one thing I learned about little boys, it’s that they want so much to imitate people, especially their father. So I took him to the shore, just knee deep. And every time the strong waves came, I told him to jump while carrying him out of the water. It took us several minutes before I got tired and told him we needed to rest. But he was enjoying and so confident, he kept telling me to go deeper in the water. He said he wants to go to the rocks, which was about a mile or two away from the shore.

Then, God’s message hit me. In this world, we face a lot of tribulations. When we come out victorious, we cannot help but praise ourselves deep within. And we become so confident that we can go another mile, go deeper in the ocean. Sometimes I forget that God was there all along, carrying me every time the strong currents wash ashore. Without Him, I would never even be where I am right now. I know I can go deeper, but only if I let Him carry me all the time. No amount of success in this world can we attribute only to ourselves. Yes, we have been equipped to succeed, but at the end of the day, it is through God’s grace and love that we are able to achieve it.

That’s not the only thing I learned today. I brought my wife through the strong rip currents, and she was a bit frightened because literally, it looked like a small tsunami out there. Probably because tropical storm Irene was distressing the Atlantic waters. We stood almost about waist deep into the water, when we both saw a very high wave approximately 10 feet from a far. She thought it’s going to be the end of her, as she still needs confidence in her swimming. I told her to be still, and trust me. I would do everything I can to make her safe. In a few seconds the wave was right in front of us. Nope, not 10 feet, just about 2 or 3. I remembered science when it was taught in high school, the height of a ripple decreases with increased distance (promise, I’m not a nerd).

Life’s troubles are like the strong, powerful waves facing us from a far, ready to devour us. But that is only in appearance. In reality, it cannot defeat us, his divine law simply disallows that from happening. We have a God who will not let go, and will do everything he can to save us.

I pray for those who are facing problems today. Let your faith allow you to go the distance. We have a perfect Father who will never let go. May God bless us.