‘Summer kisses the salty sea with hope, and sunlight, and waves of glee.’ – Angie Weiland-Crosby (American writer)
I’m currently on holiday by the coast in South Africa, where families are enjoying the last of the summer holiday before the new school term begins. I realise my friends in the UK are freezing in the recent bout of snow and storms all of which I am happy to be missing here, below the equator where the seasons are upside-down.
My favourite holidays have always been by the sea; a throwback to childhood summers in Devon when we’d visit the Jacob’s Ladder beach at Sidmouth. Afternoons spent dashing in and out of the sea, building castles, chucking frisbees around, scoffing ice cream and munching picnic treats as we turned an admirable (then) bronze colour were the stuff of dreams and now of special memories.
So far here, I have walked along the coastal path, meandered along the sand and paddled in the water. I’ve yet to plunge in fully and there’s a reason for that.
They say you should never turn your back on the ocean and it is certainly unpredictable. My friend’s brother and two nieces were swept out to see from a beach not so far from here last year. Ambulances, anxiety and hours of waiting all featured in that tale and, though it ended happily, it was a salutary lesson.
Here there are rip tides, strong currents and longshore drift you don’t want to mess with. Lifeguards in Baywatch colours of red and yellow set up flags between which it is, ostensibly, safe to swim. I spent some time this morning watching people in and around the water. They divide into clearly recognisable groups.
Some hover on the shoreline, happy to feel the water wash over their feet at regular intervals but reluctant to venture further in. Older couples stand hand-in-hand, clearly revelling in the sunshine, reflecting on holidays of yesteryear and enjoying their grandchildren. Kids on body boards frown with concentration as they choose a wave and arrive with stylish flair on the sand only to jump up and gleefully repeat the activity. Parents dangle toddlers between them, who either love or loathe the combined sensations of gritty sand on their soft feet and water in a bath without edges. Women of a certain age insist on sitting in the water but are universally horrified when a larger wave hurtles towards them. Finding their legs don’t work quite as fast as they once did results in a drenching the men seem to find hilarious. Youngsters dash into the water with the exuberance of puppies, throwing themselves into the oncoming waves with shrieks of delight while others edge in cautiously until they decide they can’t get any wetter and hurl themselves into an oncoming wave.
Regardless of what’s happening in the shallows or on the sand, those waves keep on coming. They’re regular and they’re relentless. There is no ‘off’ switch.
So, this morning as I observed all this, I contemplated how life is much the same. Some people throw themselves into everything it brings; others hover on the edges unwilling to commit to being ‘all in’. Whichever camp you might identify with, the fact is that the waves of life keep rolling on, for good or ill. Come storm, come calm, the ocean by its very nature is tidal which means it’s always moving; there’s always something happening.
A freak wave can wipe out swimmers and surfers alike; even paddlers can get an unexpected soaking if they’re knocked off their feet. I know this from personal experience. Last year I was slammed into another beach floor when a big wave took my feet from under me, tumbling me unceremoniously up the sand leaving me gasping for breath, bedraggled and grazed.
Life can do much the same, which is why I’m grateful for the steadying hand of a faithful God. Trust in Him is an anchor in the relentless storms of life. 2026 looks set to bring many more of those and while we all choose whether we ease ourselves in or jump in with both feet this January, it’s sure to bring some surprises. A trusty anchor is highly recommended. I know of none better.
[Images all my own with the exception of anchor: by Miller_Eszter from Pixabay with thanks.]
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