This morning as I made my way to the beach, the fog grew thicker. When I descended down the steps to the sand I could hear the ocean, but I couldn't see the ocean. Half way across the sand I began to see a faint trace of the gigantic Pacific Ocean, but even then it was ethereal and not clear. Once I came to the shoreline, I looked back and could not see the hotel lined cliffs.
As I began walking with thick fog surrounding me, I heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit, "This is how people see, through the glass half dimly" in reference to 1 Corinthians 13:12. Yet there is coming a day when we will see things clearly and see Jesus face to face.
My first thought on my walk was, "How am I going to know where I am?" Usually, the hotels are reference points along my beach walk, so I know how far I have come. When I came up on them, I could see tourists bundled up in layers wondering the same thing. One man decided to run in circles. For him, maybe it seemed safer. His hotel was just through the fog.
Then, out of the fog came the big rock jetting out of the sand. I couldn't believe I had already walked that far. That was a reference point, as I knew exactly where I was. Then I saw a sandbar located in the middle of the ocean and a stream. I couldn't see if I might get stuck on the sandbar or not, but decided to hop my way across the stream to it.
Then the thought hit me, how will I find the way back across this narrow path? I walked for a while longer before I turned around and realized the path back was clear. I just needed to follow my footprints in the sand.
I made my way back over the sandbar, hopping across the stream, following my footprints all the way. Then I walked around the big solid rock, my reference point. As I looked down, still surrounded by fog I saw dozens of footprints around the big rock. Which ones do I follow? And as I kept moving forward my clear heel digging footprint emerged.
Maybe sometimes it feels like you are walking through the fog with no reference points, no way to know how far you've come or what lies ahead. May Christ, the Solid Rock, be your reference point. May you find the narrow path through uncertain surroundings. And when the fog lifts, may you be surprised at how far you have come.
