“Life is a Beach” shouts a popular bumper sticker. The picture it portrays is one of relaxing on the beach, sipping a cool drink.
In reality, anyone who lives near the ocean knows that beaches can be dangerous. While vacationing at the Red Sea, we met a park ranger who told us of his brush with death when he inadvertently stepped on a stonefish and was unconscious for several days in the hospital as he battled to survive. He said, “It was my wife’s prayers that brought me back to life.”
The dangers include jellyfish, sharks, lionfish, stingrays, urchins, and a multitude of other stickers, stinkers, and stingers. Maybe life is like a beach. It too can be dangerous and hairy, full of thrills and spills.
My son Richard shared an experience that, while not related to beaches, reminded both of us of how life is full of surprises that put our problems in perspective. I’ll let him tell it:
“As I was driving onto a ramp of a main road, I paused to let two semi-trailers pass by. I could have tried to speed up to get in front of them, but I decided to slow down.
“At the time, I was discouraged about my troubles—my three-year-old son was still not speaking and would need therapy, I was having relationship troubles, and money was tight.
“Why do I have it so hard? I asked God, not really expecting an answer.
“I drove on for a few more minutes when a semi-trailer recklessly came from the opposite lane and ploughed into one of the semi-trailers that had just passed me. Both trucks tumbled over each other and exploded in flames. Fiery debris went flying everywhere and narrowly missed my car.
“I stopped and grabbed a fire extinguisher to try to put out the flames, but it was too hot to get anywhere near the accident. Help came soon, but the drivers had already perished. It was sobering to realize that if I had tried to rush ahead that day in traffic, I also might have died in the inferno.
“This incident put my problems in perspective. Just being alive felt like winning the lottery, and I began to count my blessings.”
Nothing helps you be more grateful for life than a close brush with death. Life may be like a beach, but it is one full of challenges. Thankfully, God can help us come through them and make us stronger as a result.