“He himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by His wounds you have been healed.’” 1 Peter 2:24
My Dad loved going to the beach. It reminded him of a carefree childhood. He loved body surfing, feeling the force of the water that lifted, shoved and urged him ashore.
I, on the other hand, refused to even get my face wet and contented myself with splish-splashing in the foamy outer limits of the wave action, digging little holes and dodging seaweed.
But there were wonderful moments when Dad asked if I wanted to go out deeper while he would hold me in his arms. There we were, just to the land side of the breaking waves, seeing the delicious white tongues of wave-breaking frothiness and hearing the roar as water pounded water.
And every once in a while, Dad would say, “Now close your eyes!”
Swoosh! I was lifted high, giggling in my father’s loving hands, enjoying the sensation of being high above the roiling waters.
Years later, as I thought back on these childhood memories, I realized what my Dad was doing. There we were, “in the deep,” when one of those rogue waves came, breaking, not beyond us, but right where we were. And Dad, knowing how I feared being under water, would be jumping high, holding me aloft, keeping my head well out of the ocean’s reach.
And taking on his body the full brunt force of the breaking wave.
How profoundly, if simply, he demonstrated for me the love of Christ, who bore our sin upon Himself so we would be saved.
Life sometimes throws us rogue waves, but we are always, eternally, safe in our loving Father’s arms.