Honest Reflections

Two-minute read.

A few years ago, while camping at the beach, a storm rolled in from the south. As we stood on the sandy shores, we could clearly see the harsh line of thunderstorms. Lightning shot down from the clouds in jagged lines, and the waves began to beat harshly along the shore. A magnificent sight to see, but scary as well. Rarely have I seen ocean storms; most beach days have sun in the forecast. But some days have more clouds, and every now and then a storm pops up.

Life can feel like changing beach conditions. Some seasons have an abundance of joy, while others feel stormy and exhausting. But just like the ocean remains beneath both calm and crashing waves, God’s strength remains steady underneath every season of life.

Walking with Christ doesn’t mean nothing but sunny days. We will have storms that knock us off our feet. And some days we will do better than others. But when we have Jesus, no matter what kind of day we have, we never face the changing tides alone.

In one of the most iconic Bible stories, Jesus and His disciples cross the Sea of Galilee after a long day of teaching. The Savior decided to take a nap during the voyage. Meanwhile, a violent storm suddenly arose. Strong winds whipped up the waves, and water began to fill the boat. The disciples feared they would all drown, so they woke Jesus up, and He immediately calmed the waves.

Even in the middle of chaos, Jesus remains present. The Lord may seem quiet, but that doesn’t mean He abandoned the boat. With one word, God can calm the storm, or calm you in it. But if we don’t rely on Him for our peace, no matter what the circumstances, we won’t receive it.

Each day, we can live contentedly in the Lord. Sovereign in every way, God never leaves nor forsakes us. Find contentment in His constant presence and everlasting love.

Journal Questions:

• What season are you in right now—one of abundance or challenge?
• How have you seen God strengthen you during difficult moments?
• What would it look like to practice contentment in your current circumstances?

Beach Vibe:

Whether the tide is calm or rough, Christ’s strength is the anchor that keeps your soul steady by the shore.

Two-minute read.

Wildwoods Boardwalk in New Jersey bustles with life during the summer months. When we visited a few years ago, the number of people overwhelmed me. As a person who doesn’t like crowds, I felt pushed and pulled along with the flow of visitors walking along the 38-block boardwalk filled with over 100 rides, amusement piers, waterparks, and numerous eateries.

On the other hand, Myrtle Beach, SC, during the off-season, remains one of my favorite beach experiences. With very few people and empty beaches, I love going for long strolls with the pups, enjoying the steady rhythm of the waves. Peace and clarity flow over me as I enjoy the quiet shoreline.

Following Jesus resembles the quieter shoreline. Instead of people pushing and pulling us by every trend and pressure around, we begin by listening to the calm, steady voice of God. The more time we spend with the Savior, the more our hearts change, like smooth sea glass shaped over time by the water.

Some people don’t like quiet, not wanting to have time to think. They prefer to keep busy and surround themselves with others, unaware of how it influences their lives. Without thinking, we can find ourselves swept out to sea on a wave we never saw coming. But if we don’t allow ourselves to sit in the quietness of the Lord, we won’t hear His still small voice guiding and directing us away from the traps of this world.

Only in the stillness can transformation take place.

Filling our minds with God’s Word and sitting in the quietness of His presence allows His voice to speak loudest in our lives. As we transform our minds, aligning our thoughts with the Savior’s, we will discover the path He wants us to walk. And when the world presses in on us, trying to get us to go a different way, we’ll hold fast to the Lord, allowing Him to transform us.

Journal Questions:

• What voices or pressures most influence the way you think right now?
• What helps renew your mind and refocus your heart on God?
• In what area of your life is God asking you to think differently from the world?

Beach Vibe:

Let the waves remind you that God can wash away the world’s noise and renew your heart with His peace.

Two-minute read.

Sitting on the beach, watching the sunrise as the waves roll gently against the shore, makes me want to praise the Creator. As the vibrant pinks and oranges begin to pierce the darkness, the faint line of the sun’s rays makes its way across the top of the ocean, pointing directly at me. A quiet moment that connects my heart to the Savior’s through the beauty of His creation.

Steadfast prayer pays attention to God’s presence.

When we grasp that the Lord never leaves nor forsakes us, and that He experiences every moment with us, we’ll become steadfast in prayer and watchful for His work. The morning sun illuminates the beach, helping us notice things the darkness hides: seashells sparkling in the sand, birds silhouetted against the sky, gliding over the water, a warm breeze caressing. Steadfast prayer helps us notice God’s work in our lives.

Noticing our Father’s hand in everyday moments fills our hearts with gratitude for blessings big and small.

Looking for a commuter car, Ron and I found ourselves in a small used-car dealership overhearing a conversation between the salesmen.

“Pride, huh?” the older gentleman said, leaning back in his chair. “That’s a good one. I’ve never heard that one before.” Debating the fall of the Roman Empire, we walked into an interesting conversation about sin and its effects on society.

“Who would have thought we would end up talking about C.S. Lewis in a used car shop,” Ron said when we left.

When you keep your eyes on Jesus, you will find Him everywhere. Staying connected through steadfast prayer, keeping a watchful eye, and a heart filled with gratitude leads to an abundant life and interesting conversations in the strangest places.

Steadfast prayer leads to gratitude, and gratitude helps us remember God’s faithfulness even while we wait for answers.

Journal Questions:

• What distractions keep you from being consistent in prayer?
• How can gratitude change the way you approach God today?
• Where have you recently noticed God’s faithfulness in your daily life?

Beach Vibe:

Let your prayers rise and fall like the ocean waves—steady, peaceful, and full of gratitude.

Two-minute read.

Waves calm the soul. As they roll into the shore, one after another, their subtle rhythm hypnotizes beach goers, not rushing, just settling our thoughts in their steady, unchanging movement. When we let the waves create a background sound, and focus our eyes on the horizon instead of the distractions around us, people, noise, and movement, it mirrors fixing our eyes on God’s ways.

As we talked about a few days ago, meditating on God’s word feels like waves hitting the shoreline. We don’t just glance at them and walk away, but allow them to wash over us repeatedly. Like focusing on the horizon, when we fix our eyes on Jesus, something inside becomes calmer, clearer, and more aligned with Him over time. The waves of scripture take root in our souls, washing away our selfish desires and replacing them with the Lord’s.

Transformation happens one wave at a time.

Today’s verse has a quiet but powerful declaration of intention. The author invites us to linger on scripture, not just to read it casually. Meditating simply means turning God’s truth over in our mind, allowing it to sink deeply into our hearts rather than rushing past it.

Anyone who plans a beach day plans to sit and stay awhile. For die-hard beach goers, they arrive early in the morning and leave late in the afternoon, capturing as many of the sun’s rays as possible.

What if we planned our time with God the same way? Instead of rushing through our time with Him, we arrived early and stayed late.

Steady, anchored lives continually reflect on the Lord’s truth. Posture matters more than perfection. The more we return our thoughts to Christ, the more anchored we will become in our walk with Him. Focus your eyes on Jesus, let His promises wash over you, transforming your life.

Journal Questions:

• What is one truth from God’s Word you can intentionally return your focus to today when distractions try to pull you away?
• What distractions most often pull your attention away from focusing on God, and how can you gently redirect your thoughts back to Him?
• When you take time to truly meditate on God’s Word, what changes do you notice in your attitude, decisions, or sense of peace?

Beach Vibe:

Let God’s truth wash over your thoughts like steady waves, bringing clarity and calm with every return.

Two-minute read.

Have you ever noticed waves don’t hold back? When you sit on the beach, especially before a storm, the water pounds the shoreline with all its might. Wave after wave, the ocean pours itself out on the beach.

God wants us to pour ourselves out to Him.

When life gets heavy, and everything seems out of whack, the Lord wants to hear from you. He wants you to pour yourself out to Him, with wave after wave of details. No filter or fancy words, just honesty. God wants you to lay it all out: your worries, your questions, and the things you don’t understand. Like the sand absorbs the pounding waves of the ocean, the Savior can handle your thoughts.

Releasing your burdens to Jesus allows your perspective to shift. The waves keep coming, but instead of feeling overwhelmed, they feel steady, almost like a reminder: you don’t have to carry this alone.

God becomes your refuge not by removing everything instantly, but by holding you in the middle of it. Jesus either calms the storm or calms us in it. He invites raw honesty: joy, frustration, fear, gratitude, confusion. Whatever your heart feels, the Lord wants you to pour it out to Him. He doesn’t expect perfection, but He does want honesty.

Trust comes from the relationship we have with the Savior. When we choose to bring our troubles to Him rather than carry them alone, we can do so with confidence because God is our refuge. Refuge means a place you know you can run to anytime to find comfort, protection, and safety.

God can handle the emotions in our hearts. He wants us to bring them to Him, knowing He will calm the storm and give us the strength to persevere.

Journal Questions:

• What am I holding in that God is inviting me to pour out to Him today?
• When life feels overwhelming, where do I instinctively run first—and how can I begin running to God instead?
• What would it look like for me to trust God not just with my worries, but also with my hidden thoughts and unspoken emotions today?

Beach Vibe:

Like waves that never hold back, you can pour your whole heart out to God—He’s your safe place every time.

Two-minute read.

Seeking God first sets your direction.

Can you imagine planning for a full beach day? You pack snacks, chairs, sunscreen, and everything that you think you need. But if you forget one thing that makes the beach experience possible, getting there, you’ve missed the foundation.

On the other hand, you could start with a prayer: “God, today belongs to you. Lead me.”

One slight shift leads to a completely different experience. Because you started with the foundation, God’s leading, the day takes on a different tone. You arrive at the beach early, before the crowds, and discover a calm ocean and still air. The day unfolds, little things come up, plans shift, people need things, and unexpected moments happen. But because you started the day with the Lord, you don’t scramble as you did without Him.

Grounded in the Savior, you respond instead of react.

I like to think of the Lord as my travel guide. Sunday mornings, I pray over my schedule for the upcoming week, asking God not to let me miss any divine appointments. Each morning, I spend time with the Savior, reading His Word, praying, and journaling. As the day unfolds, I know I’ve already given it to the Lord. Come what may, God’s leading the way. And whatever unfolds, He’ll use it for His good, even if I don’t understand how.

“Seek first” means choosing to make God’s way, His character, and His will the starting point, not the afterthought. Actively pursuing the Lord causes our perspective to shift as we begin to trust that God sees what we need and works to meet them in ways we can’t always see. The Lord doesn’t promise a life without challenge. Instead, He offers peace that replaces anxiety and trust that replaces striving.

Seek God first, then trust Him to let the rest fall into place.

Journal Questions:

• What does “seeking God first” look like in the first moments of my day?
• What worries am I carrying that I need to release, trusting God with my needs?
• What is one area of my life where I’ve been putting something else first, and what would it look like to intentionally put God first there today?

Beach Vibe:

Start your day anchored in God, and everything else will fall into place like waves finding the shore.

Two-minute read.

Sitting on the beach, toes in the sand, wind cooling the skin, the sound of waves lapping the shore creates a hypnotic rhythm as they shape the sand little by little. Footprints wash away, sand gets deposited, micro changes, hardly noticeable to the eye, but working. Each wave makes a tiny change, but over time, it becomes noticeable.

Meditating on God’s word works the same way.

In the morning, during my Bible reading, I always find a verse that lingers. Throughout the day, I find myself thinking about it again. Not forcing the verse, but letting it wash over my mind repeatedly. As the waves slowly transform the shore, the scripture transforms me in subtle ways. By the end of the day, nothing dramatic happens, but something subtle shifts. My mind feels calmer, my perspective clearer, and my heart feels more anchored. Each day, the Lord transforms me a little more.

The rhythm of the waves mirrors our thoughts, returning, reflecting, settling deeper each time. Meditation doesn’t flood us, but flows like a steady tide, in and out, over and over, gently transforming.

Meditating allows God’s truth to stay in us, shaping our thoughts, steadying our emotions, and guiding our choices. Allowing scripture to take root helps us live with it, letting the words flourish into life over time.

When Ezra says to meditate “day and night,” he doesn’t mean nonstop reading; instead, he means letting God’s truth stay with you, shaping your thoughts, steadying your emotions, and guiding your choices.

Psalm 1 paints a picture of a rooted life, today’s verse, the root system: a quiet connection to God’s Word that feeds everything else. When we anchor our minds in truth, our lives become more stable, more fruitful, more grounded, even when circumstances shift.

Journal Questions:

• What would it look like for me to enjoy God’s Word instead of just checking it off my list?
• Which verse or truth do I want to carry with me today and return to throughout my day?
• What distractions most often pull my mind away from God’s truth, and how can I gently redirect my thoughts back to Him when that happens?

Beach Vibe:

Let God’s Word wash over your thoughts like the tide—steady, gentle, and shaping you over time.

Two-minute read.

Early morning, the sky’s colorful pinks and oranges highlight where the water meets the horizon. As you walk along the shoreline, waiting for the sun to rise, the tide moves in and out, unforced. You can’t control the water; you can only step into it. Pausing with your toes in the water, instead of rushing through your thoughts, you whisper a simple prayer:

“God, I’m here. Help me notice you.”

The waves keep coming, not because you demand them, but because that’s what they do. In the same way, God’s presence surrounds us constantly. When we seek Him, we simply step into what already exists.

As you walk along the shore, thoughts drift and distractions pull you away. Instead of succumbing to them, you gently come back again to the Savior. A whispered prayer, a deep breath, or a moment of gratitude draws you back into His presence. Continually looks like a gentle return, not perfect, but seeking.

Our heavenly Father longs for you to turn to Him and invite Him into your life. Ezra, the assumed author of 1 Chronicles, doesn’t ask us to wait; the priest wants us to seek God. We have a heart posture of humility, knowing we can’t succeed on our own strength, we need help from the ever-present Savior.

Ezra wants us to live with a steady dependence on God. Like the waves hitting the shore, we develop a rhythm of returning to Him again and again. Throughout the day, small moments and quiet thoughts bring us back into the Lord’s presence. My favorite new app, the Bible Widget, pops up with scripture or quotes every hour, drawing me back to the Lord throughout my day.

When we pursue God, we don’t just find comfort, we find power beyond ourselves. His strength meets us where ours runs out.

Journal Questions:

• What would it look like for you to seek God throughout your day, not just in one set moment?
• Where in my daily routine do I tend to rely on my own strength instead of seeking God first?
• What is one simple, repeatable way I can turn my attention back to God throughout the day (a phrase, a pause, a prayer)?

Beach Vibe

Like waves that never stop reaching the shore, God’s always present; we just need to step into it.

Two-minute read.

Imagine walking onto the beach and pausing to watch the waves roll rhythmically onto the shore. From your vantage point, the water feels far away, beautiful but separate. Then you take a few steps forward, feeling the sand shift beneath your feet, and before long, the tide reaches you. A gentle wave gently washes over your toes.

You didn’t pull the ocean toward you, it didn’t change, always in motion. As you stepped closer and your toes felt the water brush over them, you experienced the ocean more fully.

Just like drawing near to God.

The Lord’s presence lingers close, already moving and present. But when you take intentional steps, pausing to pray, whispering His name, opening your heart, you begin to feel His presence in a deeper, more personal way.

We don’t serve a distant or reluctant Savior. He responds, even when we take the smallest step toward Him. God meets us with grace, presence, and closeness. As we draw near, we change our heart posture. Through Bible reading, quiet reflection, repentance, worship, or simply turning our attention to Him in the middle of a busy day, we find God. Like the waves rolling towards the shore, the Lord actively moves towards those who seek Him.

No matter how far you feel from God, the path back to Him remains open. You don’t have to have everything figured out. Turn toward Him and let His presence wash over you. Experience the Savior like never before as you take intentional steps towards His love, mercy, and grace.

Like the waves hitting the shore, God waits patiently for your presence. When you come towards Him, He draws near. The more steps we take, the deeper our relationship will grow, and the more we will experience the Savior. Transformation happens one step at a time. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.

Journal Questions:

What is one small step you can take today to draw nearer to God?

When do I feel closest to God, and what was I doing in that moment?

What distractions or worries tend to pull my attention away from Him, and how can I gently refocus?

Beach Vibe

Like the steady tide meeting the shore, God gently meets you the moment you turn toward Him.

Two-minute read.

When I began writing this 60-day devotional on joy, life fell apart. Loss of loved ones and broken relationships overwhelmed me. At one point, I felt like I’d lost everything, but then God. In that moment, I turned to the Lord, and He met me in the pit. Through those dark days, the Lord taught me how His joy really does strengthen us. In our distress, He meets us and helps us find our way.

Psalm 126, written by an unknown author, celebrates the restoration of God’s people after exile. What once seemed impossible had happened. The Israelites’ lives changed so dramatically that it must have felt like a dream. The Psalm responds to their moment of victory, the newfound freedom they never thought they would experience.

Our heavenly Father does that; He moves quickly. What once seemed hopeless no longer has hope. Light dispels the darkness, and what seemed impossible becomes possible. When we recognize those moments, remembering what God has done will give us hope for what He will do, and joy takes root in our hearts.

God restored my hope in a moment. After seeking Him, praying and fasting, I felt it in my spirit. The Lord had answered, and the impossible became possible. I didn’t know how or when things would change, but I knew they would. My Maker restored my hope, lightened my soul, and gave me His divine joy.

Only when we ask, will we receive.

Over the last sixty days, I hope you’ve realized that God’s joy comes from Him. We can’t manufacture it. We can’t fake it. We can only walk in joy when we seek the Savior and ask Him for it.

Each day, start with Jesus. Spend time in His word. Chat with Him through prayer. And ask the Lord for His joy. God will give it to you. And you will discover the strength you receive from it.

God bless you, my friend. I leave you with His joy, that will carry you through.

Reflection:

What “great things” has God done in your life that you may have stopped noticing?

Joy Thought:

God gives you His joy when you seek Him.