You look around and you find yourself standing at the edge of a shoreline. You can see it coming up ahead. A huge tidal wave.
You have no doubt that it will reach you. You start to tremble. What do you do?
Maybe you consider running, but you quickly realize you’re out of time, and there’s no way you’ll run far enough or fast enough.
So you decide to hunker down. You’re praying, and you are reminded of God’s love for you. His protection, His affection, it’s all there, but you decide to keep those things in your hand. You ball up into the smallest ball you can turn yourself into, hunched down on that shore, hand clenched tight with Jesus inside. You imagine that if you hold that small piece of God, just hold on tight, that it will be enough.
But you start to worry about that wave again. Oh, it’s a doozy. You very well might not be able to stand the impact, even with that piece of God in your hand.
So what can you really do?
***
I work through long held heart-issues and I can even get temporary freedom from them. That is, until I wake up the next day and it’s groundhog day all over again, and I wonder what all that praying was for. All that surrendering I did. I knew the Truth, I believed — so why wasn’t it enough?
This week I shared a story about letting go of shame from my past, 10 years later. And when this happened, just a few days ago, I learned something completely new. I knew what it was that had to be done differently this time.
I don’t need to just know that hard stuff is going to hit me, and then steel up and stand there and get pelted while holding tiny bits of Truth in my hand, hoping it’s all enough.
What I needed to do was see that hard stuff coming, and become bigger and unreachable. Untouchable, even.
How do you do this, when you face the hard heart-issues? How do you face fear, condemnation, shame, judgment, and all their horrible friends, and get through unscathed?
By letting God’s love grow big.
(This is not just a cliche – stay with me here, friends.)
Instead of curling up into a ball and letting the storm hit and just praying I make it through, I can receive His love, let it grow big, and let it make me untouchable. I let His love wash away ALL of the lies I’m believing. All those fallacies. I let His love change my mind about myself.
There is a place of freedom I’m being called into. A wholeness. He wants to make me whole. That place is peace and love and yes, untouchable. Oh how the lines fall in beautiful places.
Let God’s love grow you big, bigger than the tidal wave ahead that you see coming. Bigger than that issue which stresses you to your core. Bigger than those people who don’t understand you, don’t know you. Bigger than those hurts that are not yet healed.
Let Him be big.
***
Arianne blogs at Mabel + Riv, a lifestyle blog about faith, family and style and lives with her 4 children and husband in Phoenix Arizona.
Tammy says
Thank you for this today. My family & I are facing (and have been for a bit) more than just one “big wave” and feeling pretty small lately. Especially after being bashed against the rocks by some of those who should be the very ones reaching out to lock arms and help anchor us.
Your words came at the right time for me; I’ve been at that point you described about “why wasn’t it enough?” for awhile now and your words just resonated inside of me. It was a mix of an “Aha!” moment and a “D’oh!” I will have to admit.
kris scorza-sobieski says
“There is a place of freedom I’m being called into. A wholeness. He wants to make me whole. ” yes! i agree! thank you for your post today arianne—-encouraging. –kris
Tammy Kawski says
This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you.
Tammy Kawski says
This is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you. This is the encouragement I needed.
Pamela Herman says
Wow. Beautiful.
Lisa says
I was just watching that very tidal wave build this morning when I read this…thank you so much for the beautiful words and putting that tidal wave into perspective…I’m no longer afraid of it and know that it will pass over and I will be that much stronger because of it!
~Sue~ says
Thanks for your blog today. Seems I am not alone in the constant onslaught of tidal waves, and it seems I barely recover from one until another hits. I am praying for God’s love to help me grow. I am not strong enough in myself, and that He well knows, but I am willing to learn and grow in Him.
I don’t know what I would do without my online sisters. I don’t seem to have anyone close enough to me to do the ‘friend’ thing, and it gets lonely, but I know I can turn to God. He just needs skin on sometimes. 😉
Blessings.
Kathi says
Sue, I hear you and I pray, Loving God, that You will come to Sue today with skin and arms and hugs…help her find her skin community.
Melody Ann says
Oh, how this blessed me TODAY.
“Let God’s love grow you big, bigger than the tidal wave ahead that you see coming. Bigger than that issue which stresses you to your core. Bigger than those people who don’t understand you, don’t know you. Bigger than those hurts that are not yet healed.”
THank you for writing.
Heather Arbuckle says
How I needed this today! Thank you!!
Ann van says
Wow, was this for me today, when I’m struggling with fear and physical issues and just want to curl up into a ball with that “little piece of God”, stead of letting him be bigger. Thank you Lord, thank you so much, Arianne.
Monica says
Love this! Much needed!
the Blah Blah Blahger says
Oh, man…light bulb moment. I need to RECEIVE His love. I’m kind of a dummy…
Lots of good things here…I’ll be noodling on this all day.
XOXO!
Bev says
Thank you for the reminder that God and His love are bigger than all my tidal waves!
kim says
Your words are beautiful. Thank you for reminding me that the truest thing about me is what God says about me, not what I think or feel or not what other people say or think, the truest thing about me is what God says and I need HIS help to believe the TRUTH not the lies. Thank you , May God continue to Bless you and flood your soul with HIS amazing Love.
Kathi says
Thank you for sharing this!!! “all those fallacies. I let his love change my mind about myself” I’ve been in the midst of the tidal wave, and clinging to whatever small pieces i could…but God IS growing bigger in me and changing my thoughts from “don’t deserve a place on the planet” to “God delights in me!!!” (Psalm 18) and knows everything about me ALL TRUTH whether my family believe me or not….God is changing the lie that plagues me that “you do not matter” to “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded…every moment was laid out..How precious are your thoughts about me O God!” For this incest survivor and woman with chronic illness, it is not easy to believe I can matter, but I am trusting God to weave these truths into the fiber of my being,,,so much that I will also be able to help other women know this LOVING God too!
Cari says
Thank you, this has really touched me and it reminded me that with God anything is possible but off ourselves we can do nothing.
Cari says
Thank you, this has really touched me and it reminded me that with God anything is possible but off ourselves we can do nothing.
Kris says
“He wants to make me whole.”
Living the last few years always anticipating the next “tidal wave,” of internal bleeding & all that goes with it…who was going to care for my little boy and what if I don’t make it through. God’s mercy and grace always carried us through. But the thought that He wants to make me whole… I had not even allowed myself to consider. Until now, when the tears flowed as I read this over & over. Like so many, I too struggle to be who and where God has designed. In bad times and in good times. Sometimes, I forget that God’s love is not burdensome. His yoke not heavy. That He has a plan for each of us. Hope. Prosperity. A future. And maybe…wholeness. Thank you. Thank you for being His voice. 🙂
Christine says
Years ago I had a dream that I was standing on a beach and a huge tidal wave was coming at me. Someone near by said, “It’s the Big Kahuna.” I woke up and wondered about the dream. It was not till much later (and that might have been months or years later) that I had been talking to a musician from Hawaii, who was also a native Hawaiian, and told him about the dream. He said, “Wow. A Big Kahuna is a High Priest.” I can laugh about it now because at that time I was away from God and when I learned the Big Kahuna was a High Priest, I knew it was Jesus Christ coming after me.
This is not the first time I dreamed about God coming in strange forms. He lifted me off the ground and gently whirled me around inside a tornado. That was pretty amazing, too.
I know this is not the kind of comment you would expect, but it was my experience with tidal waves and tornadoes, which pretty much describes my life. 😀
Patty O says
I love this blog and was wondering if it would be ok to reblog it? It\’s incredibly inspirational and just what I needed today. I know my readers would appreciate it too!
Liana says
Lord, please help us to release the chains that we have placed around Your love for us, keeping it from becoming bigger and in doing so, allowing it to blossom so abundantly that it is enabled to encompass and shelter us fully in all the onslaughts of life.
How to survive a tidal wave | Mabel + Riv says
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Beth WIlliams says
God is much bigger than any problems/people we can face. We must be in prayer daily and let His words & love soak into our being.
I daily pray my troubles away. I start by praying for my co-workers, family, and friends. Then I thank Him for ALL He’s done for me thus far and ask for relief from “the thorns in my side”,
He always answers in His way and time!
Tricia says
Your words are woven together with such grace and beauty, such perfection. Thank you for this, you are truly so gifted. Love you, sweet friend.