I See You

I used to watch three of the most precious little blond boys in the world. And oftentimes, I would take them for long walks through the neighborhood or to the park, just to get them out on adventures (especially during the COVID quarantine days). When we would walk along the road and a car was coming by, I would make them stop and wave to the people in the car. I did it for a couple reasons: 1) to make sure the driver was paying attention and saw them and 2) to teach them to be friendly and welcoming. It got to the point where I never had to tell them to stop and wave, they just did it. 

Now here in the South, this is not an unusual occurrence. People wave to each other all the time. If you are from the North, this can be unnerving at first. As I hail from Pittsburgh, the first time it happened I wondered, "Do I know you?" because typically only people who knew you would acknowledge you as you went by. But having lived in the South for the majority of my life now, not only am I used to it, but I prefer it. I will wave to everyone. A late friend once told me with a chuckle to wave to everyone, cause you never know when you'll need their help. Personally, I think he just enjoyed waving to everyone.

Now that we live near the coast, we are in an area with a mishmash of relocated or vacationing cultures. So while walking along the beach road, I will get all kinds of reactions. Sometimes it's just a nod of the head. Sometimes the pointer finger, two fingers or four fingers will come off the steering wheel. Sometimes just a smile. Sometimes a full-on wave. One guy even blew me a kiss. One time the person holding their breakfast burrito used it to wave hello. And then sometimes the person driving by me won't even acknowledge I'm there. Sometimes people are looking down (I assume at their phones) and can't see me. Sometimes it's just the driver that waves and other times just the passenger. Sometimes it's the whole crowd in a golf cart waving. It always makes me smile for the same two reasons above: 1) they see me, and on that beach road, that's important and 2) it's friendly and welcoming. For me, it's a little roadside evangelism without using words.

See, I want them to know I see them, too. I cannot tell you how many times I've seen a person's face that is maybe sad, grimacing or drawn and I will lift that person in prayer. Perhaps a smile will brighten their day just a bit, but certainly lifting them to the Most High will. Or if they are speeding, I'm praying for their safety or if they are looking down, that they will lift their heads and pay attention to their surroundings. And if they do wave and give me a smile, it lifts my spirits. Coming home from church Sunday, a young boy on his bicycle paused to wave to me ... perhaps to make sure I saw him or just to say hello. Either way, it brought me joy to wave back.

Sometimes I wonder how many times I have missed God walking by, hoping I will see Him and acknowledge Him. I know He is El Roi, the God Who Sees Me, just as Hagar named Him in Gen. 16:13 when she thought no one did. He is seeing me and waving, hoping I will smile and wave back. I try to do that with my devotion time each morning ... wave to the Creator of the universe, praise Him, and pray for Him to guide my steps throughout the day. It's the most important greeting of my day and I can think of no better way to start it. And if my eyes stay on Him, my choices and actions that day will be far wiser ones.

So when you see me in my sparkly visor, walking shorts, and T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, I will be waving. Even if five or more cars are going by one after the other, I will wave to every single one. And, of course, saying "hello" to those walking, running, skateboarding or biking by as well. If I'm waving at you, know you have been seen and prayed for ... and that I'm hoping those waves I see on the gulf shore won't be the only ones I see on that walk.

Waves of Life

My husband was holding me from behind with his arms around me as we stood in the Gulf of Mexico waste deep near the pier in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. He rested his chin on my head and we stood staring south out over the beautiful clear blue-green water. My husband delighted in the calmness of the sea, with the small rolling waves breaking behind us closer to shore. I spent much of my time looking for the sharks I'd heard about that I thought would love swimming near the pier where fisherman cast bait over the railing.

Since the gulf was so calm, the sea was nearly flat with tiny ripples, but every once and awhile a wave would nudge us both enough to throw us off balance just a bit. We'd giggle every time it happened. Finally my husband profoundly said, "You know this is just like life. You think you have your feet firmly planted and something comes along to try to knock you over."

As we were celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary there in the panhandle of Florida and reminscing over our years together, I thought about his analogy. Many times over those years we thought everything was stable, blessing after blessing, when all of a sudden something would happen to knock us off our feet. Sometimes the challenges were small and other times they were huge, difficult challenges that took much more time to recover from. Many times, it wasn't a recovery that occured, but rather a sharpening of sorts, winnowing perhaps or even a readjustment. No matter how firmly we thought out feet were planted in the sand, that has never stopped the waves. Brad was right. This was like life.

The morning of our anniversary as we looked at pictures from our wedding I asked my husband, "If you could go back in time to your newlywed self, what would you tell him?" He said quickly, "I would tell him to get his spiritual act together." I then asked, "Would you have listened to yourself?" Without hestitating he responded, "No, probably not." When asked the same question about what I would've said to that young bride in white silk organza, I replied, "Armor up, girl. There are challenges ahead."

When I think about the two of us standing in the cool waters of the gulf, I remember what each of us was doing at that moment, and how it reflects our outlook in life of late. My husband delights in the calm moments. You can hear him sigh, breathing in God's goodness. While I'm busy looking for sharks in the water, watching for the next challenge to head out way. It's just what our life experiences and spiritual journeys have brought us to thus far.

And no matter what waves are coming, it looks like between the two of us, with God as our anchor ... we've got a nice balance.