Sleeper Waves.

After weeks of working my two jobs and not really having a day off, I had requested this last weekend off. I was going to attend a women’s retreat but the finances just weren’t there. Instead, my parents and I decided to get out of the house and the city of Modesto and enjoy a day of fun. With several dollars in our pockets, maps to guide our way, and water in a cooler, we took off.

We traveled west to Napa Valley. Only one word could describe the drive, BEAUTIFUL! The vineyards were beyond harvesting and the leaves on the branches had started to turn. With fields of gold and red dotting the sides of the road and the mountains rising behind them, these sites rivaled the beauty of the Iowa falls I so love.

We drove up to a small town north of Napa Valley that houses one of three “Old Faithful” geysers. This is one is not quite as famous as the one in Yellowstone but it is still as consistent in its display. We stopped to watch this amazing and awe-inspiring act of God’s creation. And I can tell you it is awe-inspiring that God could create nature to explain and defy science. The site was truly amazing.

The last stop along the way, the coast. We traveled over the Coastal Ranges to reach the ocean and it was such a beautiful sight. But then again the ocean is always beautiful with its stretching horizon and roaring waves. We parked the cars and walked down the path to a slightly hidden beach called Arched Rock Beach. It was so great to roll up the pants, shed the shoes and skip through the receding waves. The water was so cold! Yet, the fun of the ocean water on my toes. At one point, one wave was deceiving and crashed with a bigger flow than I expected. I got a little wet. But what fun!

Days following this day trip, one thought keeps rolling through my mind. I will remember that wave that crashed into me, deceiving me with its depth and crashing farther up the shore than I thought. Before walking down the path to the beach, there is a warning sign at the beginning. The sign stated the warning of sleeper waves that crash against the shore, catching a person off guard and even at times pulling a person back into the surf. Drowning may occur.

Adjust that thought to my life and with God, it all makes a great message. I can get so caught up in my life and the events around me that I get lazy, placing around me a false sense of security. At first the waves that crash against me are minimal, barely reaching the tops of my feet, and I take my eyes off the danger. Along comes a wave, deceptive in its power, luring me into a sense of safety, and I do not move. Then as this deceptive wave crashes against me with more force and depth than I anticipated, I am knocked off my feet, dragged back into the sea of sin and doubt.

Often times in my journey with God, I can lull myself into a sense of safety even though some waves can crash against me. I get to the point where I become so secure that I forget to stay alert for signs of temptation or traps of sin. Then one day that deceptive wave begins to push towards me. If I am watchful, I can see the difference for the differences are there just subtle. If I can tell which wave is deceptive, I can run away to higher ground to stay safe. The wave will crash but it will not pull me away.

Just like that day when I misjudged the wave and got myself wet up past my knees, I can misjudge when sin crouches at my door. If I am not alert each and every day, it can knock me off my feet and dragged me away or I can recognize it and run away.

The rolling land.

A normal evening. Sitting at the dinner table. Waiting for the cookies to cook. Then the unusual occurred. I heard a noise. I thought my eyes were playing tricks. Maybe my Dr. Pepper addiction finally caused permanent brain distress, but I swear to you the house moved. It swayed. I actually saw the walls move.

No, I am not insane and my Dr. Pepper addiction has not caused permanent damage. The house actually shook. What I thought at first was my imagination was in fact a tremor from a 5.6 earthquake that originated in Southern San Francisco and San Jose area. The shock wave from the land plates shifting rolled across the land over a hundred miles to my home.

I was told that I would probably not ever experience an earthquake in Modesto since we are located far enough away from the fault lines to ever feel the shock, but those words became mute tonight as I sat in the kitchen chair, being rocked back and forth as I wondered what was wrong with my eyes. And I wonder what will be expected when a higher earthquake hits the western seaboard. The prediction is a major earthquake to hit the San Francisco coast along the San Andreas fault, an earthquake that may rival the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes.

It was a surreal experience, going about my evening with my activities then suddenly having myself rock back and forth by nature. At first I did not exactly know what happened. I thought something fell over since I heard a loud noise but it did not make sense for the house to roll like it did. But after awhile, the news reported what we all expected. I survived my first earthquake.

Jeremy Camp - Walk by Faith (acoustic)

No one else can say it better than Jeremy Camp and this song...I will walk by faith each and every day!