I was not sure exactly why I wanted to visit the ocean, the Gulf coast, but I felt a pull in my spirit to go.
I was reading a book a year or so ago. I was reading the book, Ten Beach Road, by Wendy Wax. I fell in love with Pass-a-Grille, Florida, while reading.
I was telling a friend, Sally Gubser, about the book, and how much I was falling in love with this Florida spot. She said, "I grew up in Pass-a-Grille." She said if you go to a Florida beach, go there. So, we did.
This weekend we flew into Tampa and drove the easy 30 minutes to the town that boasts the shortest Main Street in the world. It is one block long. The Gulf of Mexico on the west and Tampa Bay on the east. The town has a rich history. I had found a block-by-block historical walking guide on the Internet that described the homes and early families; street by street, from 1st to 10th Streets.
There is one large hotel, the Don CeSar, that greets you as you turn onto Pass-a-Grille Way from State Highway 475. From that point on, you enter the quaint fishing and beach village that although is very up-to-date, drops the fast pace of the world immediately.
September is their hottest month and most locals, if they want to get away, leave within the first couple of weeks of the month. By the third week in September, they are back preparing for the 'snowbirds' to arrive, those folks wanting to escape their winter cold.
Back to why we went and for such a short time, the weekend.
Through my Aspergers, I tend to allow the fear of things to creep into my psyche. It is a sin, yes it is, and one that keeps me in a prayerful relationship with God.
Anyway, for me, large bodies of water tend to create a huge uneasiness within. Just looking at pictures makes me start to breathe heavily. I have been to beaches before, the Golf, California, and others, but I needed to go, I thought to conquer my fear.
What God spoke to me was so much bigger than my fear.
In John 4:13-15, the Word states, "Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
The beach waters were clear, and I could see. The boats skimmed upon the surface. The waves were big, the water, dark and deep. If we were in it and not prepared, we would be overtaken by it. It would engulf us, and the fear of death would result.
As I stood at the water's edge, with the waves lapping at my knees, God made it clear to me that He is the Living Water. He needs to flow through us. We often stay close to the shore just testing the water. Maybe yes, maybe no, depending on what the next best offer might be.
Or, we get big and spend a little time on a boat, skimming along the top of the body. We spent some time and energy to get the boat, and we may sail far out into the water, yet we turn back to the comfort of the shore.
What God wants is for us to be overtaken by the Living Water. He wants it to flow through us, not in death, but in everlasting life. He wants for it to beautiful, simple, peaceful and filled with love.
"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” John 7:38
He wants us to be just outside the world. Close enough for relationships, but different enough that we can be used. Where we become the fountain, that flows with Living Water. The flowing fountain that others can come to and be filled with, too.
This is the reason God took me to Pass-a-Grille, Florida. He wanted me to see and share. He is calling us to be fishers of men. Even in our inadequacy. He is calling.
Be filled through and through with the Living Water. We must drown ourselves in him!
Fresh Find: Purposeful phone case.
