Come Away With Me

She stood on the shore listening to the sound of the sea as it licked her toes and created ripples in the sand. It had been a long journey to this point and she was thankful for the moment to just BE STILL and remember. Remember…..it was a word that had taken on new meaning in recent days, mostly because of the friend who had slowed down the fast paced sprint she was making towards what she thought she wanted…that is when everything changed and HE began to write His story on her heart. This is the story of a girl who changed directions and fell madly in love along the way, discovering a new journey and leaving new and fresh tracks in the sand.

But let’s start at the beginning. It all began one morning as she was strolling the beach and feeling the pressure to be more, do more and succeed at more. Expectations were great and the stress of life had done more than just creep in, they were screaming at her and she needed it to stop. Not just the voices that were demanding things of her in her world, but the voices that were in her head, demanding more of her from the inside. Trying to quiet the voices, she began to run and push herself further and harder in hopes that the sweat that began to pour from her brow would bleed out the unwelcome sound of the clamoring voices that seemed to swell and bring confusion to her soul. Her head pounded as her feet hit the sand in a steady stride. Her knees ached and her breathing was labored. Finally she stopped, stooped over and gasped for breath. Looking up and glancing at the ocean, the sun was just beginning to rise and the reflection was like mirrored glass.

A tear began to pour from her eye and down her face…and then another. Undone and unmasked, she began to walk back towards the house where she would once again pretend all was well.  And that is when it happened. An encounter of a different kind.

She wasn’t looking for it, nor did she expect it. She was nearing the end of what she could handle and no one knew. She had hidden it from everyone. Pride and self preservation were the cause, but she called it the need to press through. She served her family and loved her husband desperately. She was a faithful friend and was willing to do whatever she could to make someone else’s life better. She diligently served her church and loved doing so. She was consistent with her time with the Lord and continually devoted herself to advancing the Kingdom of God. And yet, something was missing. From the outside looking in, it seemed as if her life was perfect and that she had all anyone could imagine. And many thought that, but a quick look on the inside would quickly reveal an unsettled heart that was dissatisfied, lonely, afraid and looking for more.

There had to be more. She was convinced of it. But despite the knowing, she just couldn’t find her way. She prayed. She sought. She disciplined herself to run farther and faster. She spent more time in the Word and she began to push aside the things of the world. She studied more and chose to discipline her heart towards the things above, after all that is what Scripture said to do, right?

But it didn’t take long for her to discover that for all the trying, all that did was make her tired. She was running harder and faster, finding more knowledge and being more stimulated by the things she learned. But things in her heart were not changing. That is until that day on the beach…..

There on that beach, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, undone, unmasked and crying, she had an encounter of a different kind….an encounter that would forever change her life and her journey. It was the beginning of something new. A love affair that would ultimately steal her heart. He was handsome and attractive, but not in the take your breath away kind of looker. Dark skinned, dark hair and eyes of sapphires that reflected the beauty of the sunrise behind him. He was dressed in shorts and a t shirt and was moving at a steady stride down the beach, when she looked up and caught a glimpse of those eyes.

The eyes....that is what she will always remember. The beauty in those eyes was what stopped her dead in her tracks. She saw something behind them that was stunningly indescribable; making her want to do more than just see them, but know the man that was behind them.

Realizing she was starring, she quickly looked away, but only to have her gaze immediately drawn back. To her astonishment, he was looking her dead in the eyes and was not in the least trying to look away. She had never been so drawn to something in all her life. She had never wanted to stop time or encounter someone like she longed to encounter him. She stopped and just looked.  She waited for hi