Love in the Waves

The wind whipped through my long hair as I sat on a little speed boat, sailing back to Fiji’s main island, Suva, after a beautiful day of relaxation on stunning Beachcomber Island. Even as I thought back through the day, my heart raced, and I couldn’t help but smile, pull out my phone, and type a few words in a new note. A writer’s brief spill of words to try to capture a moment that was so deep, it was honestly beyond words. That often seems to be the case when something supernatural is in the air.

The day itself had been wonderful. That morning, we sped through perfectly blue waters to Beachcomber, where we were greeted at the shore with a welcome song from the resort’s kind Fijian hosts. We spent most of our vacation day snorkeling by the reef and lying out on the sand under a friendly sun.  After a while in the sun, I decided to try the water. The water was cool and salty and I plunged in and floated on the surface.

Closing my eyes, I let myself just lie there in that clear ocean water. I used to be afraid of the ocean. Afraid of what lay under the watery depths. Or of what could happen if you got caught under the force of the waves. But here’s the thing about fears. They dissolve in something deeper. Faith, hope, love. I’ve been learning to put my faith and my hope in Someone greater than myself, my good Father. As I learn to embrace His love, my fears seem to gradually slip away, because perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Love can bring the rage of fear to calm.

Floating there in the sparkling turquoise waves, I felt overcome by God’s great love. I found His love in the ocean. There was resurrection there. What used to be fear became love. And I thought about just how God’s love covers everything, so the ocean wraps around the entire globe, touching every coast. Its waves lap on every shore. As I lay there in the waves I used to fear, I felt closer to the entire rest of the world. I am amazed. In the acceptance of perfect love come the death of fear and the birth of connection and community.