Beware of the Undertow

We recently had a small vacation with our children and grandchildren at a beach. I remember as a child going to the beach in Florida and as a teenager in Southern California.  I love the beach…. let me count the ways.  I love the contrast of the water to the sand, the sound of the waves, the sun shining on the water and sand, the fond memories of previous times with family and friends; the list could go on and on.  Darrell and I honeymooned in Cancun, Mexico way back 40 years ago when there were just a couple hotels and the beaches were beautiful. While we were missionaries, we had opportunities to visit beaches in Costa Rica and Venezuela where there were a variety of colored sand beaches.  There was one beach in particular in Costa Rica in Puntarenas that we never visited.  I am sure that distance and expense were factors in not going but deep down for me having heard reports of the beach and ocean, I was fearful of the undertow.
 
An undertow, as defined by Britannica Dictionary is a current in the sea or ocean that is below the surface and that moves away from the shore.  Interesting that Britannica provides a sample sentence of: Don’t get caught in the undertow.  Exactly! Don’t get caught in the undertow and if you do, swim parallel to the beach.  Some of you beach goers may be saying at this point, “No it’s a rip tide or rip current.” There is actually a separate definition to all three terms but for my discussion, I have always referred to it as an undertow. My fear has been centered on the waves coming in and the strong pull back out to the ocean, taking one of my family members. For me, this fear is the barrier to having a carefree vacation time at the beach….besides the occasional sunburn. 
 
As a Therapist, one of my goals in counseling sessions with my clients is to expose fear.    This little four-letter word is like a mighty dam, built high and maintained by excuses and thoughts.  It stops us from being successful in many areas of our lives.  I would even extrapolate that fears have impacted our ability to follow God’s leading in our lives.  I have used that little four-letter word or it’s derivative, afraid like this: “ I am afraid I will make a mistake. I am afraid I will not be successful.  I am afraid that I am not smart enough.  I afraid they will get hurt.  I am afraid someone will take them.  I am afraid the undertow will put them out to sea. I am afraid I might have cancer.  I am afraid if I do have cancer, how will I manage?”  Have you ever said or thought some of these statements?  Believe me, the very thought or spoken confession of fear is like a strong undertow.  Fear takes us far from the truth of scripture, God’s Word and the grip of God in our lives.   Lets look at some scripture about fear, faith and how we, as Christians anchor in during an undertow.
 
Isaiah 35:4 says to those with fearful hearts,  “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come,  he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution, he will come to save you.”
 
Jesus speaking to His disciples said in John 14:27,  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
 
My life verse: Joshua 1:9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
 
Matthew 6:34  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
 
Psalm 23:4  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
 
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
 
Romans 8:38-39  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
 
Psalms 118: 6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?
 
2 Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
 
Psalms 56:3-4  “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
 
Isaiah 41:10  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
 
Isaiah 41:13  For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
 
Romans 8:15  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
 
How do we prevent the undertow… the fear that causes us to drift away from solid ground and casts us out to the deep abyss.?  We cast off the fear and reframe our thoughts.  If there is one “treasure” I want you to have is that “thoughts are not facts.” Just because we think it does not make it a fact.  We start having a lot of emotions such a anger, sadness, anxiety etc, just based on what we are thinking and then sometimes that leads to behavior.  If I think someone does not like me, then I feel sad and may avoid that person.  I have no real fact that the person doesn’t like me it’s just my thoughts.
 
Another way to combat the undertow is to meditate on scripture, casting off fear and believing who God is in our life, the salvation we have in Jesus and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our life. The list of scriptures I provided are a great way to combat fear.  The Word of God is full of so much more! 
 
The fear of the undertow at the beach that I had was laid to rest by prayers of protection, keeping a watchful over the children’s play, trusting God’s every watchful care of all of us.  We had a great time and made wonderful memories. 
 
I pray that all of you live free of fear, and filled with the beautiful, abundant life God intends for us to live. This does not mean we don’t have issues but it means God is our sustainer.
 
Blessings,
Karen