HE was with me

         The salty air surrounded me. My eyes drank in the oranges and red of the sunrise. A calming rhythmic sound of the waves crashing into the surf filled my ears. Soft sand tickled my toes.

         Every morning of that vacation, I would take a solo hour-long beach walk at the crack of dawn to drink in the sights, be with God, and take photos. As I stood in the surf taking a video of the sunrise and waves, I suddenly felt a hand touch me on my shoulder. When I looked around, there was no one there.

         It was one of those should of – could of moments in life. I should have yelled, “Yes, God. What do you need?” I could have gotten down on my knee in that damp sand and prayed to him. Except I did neither because I didn’t realize the significance of the moment until it had passed.

         You see 10 months prior to that moment I had lost my sister suddenly and tragically. I struggled to breath in the months to follow after her death. It was during that mourning period I had felt as though God had forsaken and forgotten me. Why had he taken my only sibling to be with him? I often asked myself that question.

         On that barrier island, I was compelled to go to a special church the Sunday prior to feeling God on that lonely beach. During the service, the pastor pulled out a guitar and began to belt out “Who am I” by the Casting Crowns. That song had become my theme song on those solo walks on the beach. I downloaded the song and played it on repeat.

         God wanted me to know that “I am Yours.” He had not forsaken or forgotten me after Tanya had died. He needed me to go through those trials and feelings of lost, so that I could find myself on that beach alone. It was then he would make his presence known to me.

         I wasn’t really alone on that beach. I had a companion – God. He was with me the whole time.

Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Blessings,

Traci