This week my family and I took a trip down to one of our favorite places down on the emerald coast.  It’s one of those trips we like to take when possible to get away from the norms of our daily hectic lives.  Sure we get may get a little crispy, but this whole time is so valuable to just slow down for a few days, take in the beauty and the power of the ocean before us and relax.  This trip down was a little different because I actually had to bring my school with me.  Been there before, but the first day or so, I had the hardest time relaxing and just letting go.  I spent part of that first day writing papers and taking quizes to close out the week for my classes.

It’s hard to get out of the mindframe of everyday life when you have things constantly rolling through your head and stresses about what is to come and what has been.  When I finished my work, went down to the beach to join my family.  Still not fully unplugged, I tried my best to just chill and enjoy sitting in the sand and playing in what has been a rough surf this week.  This helped.  Then my poor wife was not feeling the greatest, so I was worried about her that evening when we came back upstairs.

Then the next morning came.  I got up early as usual hit the gym for my normal Monday workout.  Always a good time to clear the brain as I have my music plugged in and getting moving and lifting.  Afterwards, I went out on the beach on my own and just set there on the edge of the water.  As I sat there taking in all in I could sense God’s presence around me and before me in the wind and waves.  I could sense Him trying to calm me down.  Trying to get me to that place where I was surrendered to Him and just let go for the stresses that I have had.  It was an amazing feeling to feel Him and hear Him.  After that time, I went back upstairs with the family to have breakfast and I just felt free again.  He was essentially telling me that it is okay to let go.

My God never ceases to amaze me.  Even when I get so caught up in the worries and pressures that comes with this life, with schooling, and everything else, He always finds a way to pull me back.  That’s part of what solitude does, just getting time alone with Him.  I felt that in Coloraod last winter and when I get away to places like here, it can feel Him again doing the same thing.  Just getting me to let go.  I don’t have to be everything to everyone all the time.  I can let go and just be in His presence.

It’s no wonder that I have grown to simply love my God more and more.  He loves me enough to pull me back into His precense.  He loves me enough to save me from myself and this world.  He loves me and all of us more than we could ever hope for.  I’m grateful to live a life that is fixed on Him everyday so that I can be drawn back away from the chaos.  A few years ago, I would never been like this, but now that I know Him and know His love, life is never going to be the same, because I am now alive in Him.  I may get caught in the craziness of life sometimes, but knowing God, helps me to pull back and remember what is important.  He is just amazing!  It’s seems so simple, yet so awesome!