And just like that, five months of lifeguarding is over.
On my final day, a wave of nostalgia hits me and I begin to reflect upon all the memories of the past three summers on Hilton Head Island. For everything there is a season, and I sense this season is now coming to an end for good. With that being said, I reflect. I thank the Lord for using this environment and the people surrounding to shape me into the woman I am becoming. I know there have been priceless lessons learned within these summers that I will forever cherish and tell my own children someday.
Though monotonous at times, I will miss this beach. The sand. The sun. And the care free lifestyle that comes along with it. I’ll miss salty hair, country music, and bare feet. I’ll certainly miss the quiet mornings spent on my couch with my bible open and pen in hand; I’ll miss long nights in my summer parents’ home (shout out to Jay and Joanne Foggy) sharing and pouring out of hearts around their dining room table; I’ll miss my daily sausage egg and cheese croissants from Harris Teeter made by a woman with the most beautiful heart; and of course, I’ll miss my fellow guards and church family that have made this summer worth it. I can’t say I’ll miss my sandy sheets, insatiable hunger, the constant body aches that make me feel 65 years old, or my burnt nose after my long 12-hour days. But I’m grateful, nonetheless, for the Lord’s providential guidance into this job.
But here’s the take away. This job made me recognize all that He is, and all that I am not.
- He is my Deliverer. His Holy Spirit came down to reside within my heart and speak boldly through my mouth. And where my spirit has been willing, my flesh has proven to fail time after time. He gives discernment when called upon and clarity in compromising situations. He reminded me what it means to “live a life worthy of the calling” (Eph 4:1). And in a place where sin and temptation have consumed me, He brought deliverance and freedom.
- He is my Sustainer. I learned what it means to dig through the mental and physical exhaustion, lay it at the feet of Jesus and ask Him to carry me in times when I just couldn’t handle the difficulty of another day. Summer after summer, I continually return to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
- He is my Creator (Ps 146:6). We serve a God who is capable of calming the seas, making the tides rise and fall, and storms cease at the sound of His Voice. Seeing Him at work brought my prayer life to a depth I otherwise thought was impossible. I prayed. He showed up. I learned to pray with expectancy, fully believing that He was and is ABLE to fulfill the prayers I present to Him.
Hilton Head pushed me into the uncomfortable and taught me how to cry out to the Father that hears our prayers. To rely, depend, and walk with my Jesus. Day in, day out. Breathe in, breathe out.
Did you do it?
He allowed that breath. I’m blown away by His grace and this life He walks us through. And that He graciously decided to use my mouth as a tool for His glory. So this season ending just makes me more excited for the next. For what’s ahead, for the life I’m about to take hold of and the journey that awaits.
So thank you, Hilton Head. Until next time, old friend.
