The Beach

By Stephanie Snyder

The beach is the most spiritual place for me. Of all the places I have been in my life, quite simply the ocean, the sand, the horizon… it takes me to a place that no other place on Earth can.

Every summer, my family goes to the beach for a week in the Outer Banks. This time is special in that I spend quality time with my brother, sisters, and parents, I get to play in the water, work on my tan, and eat awesome seafood. But I have to say that the most amazing time I have at the beach are the nights when I can steal away by myself with a blanket and escape to the beach.

There is something about the whole sensory experience. Hands down, the view is a heavenly portrait. The smell of salt in the air, the feel of the sand as I dig my feet into it, the sound of the great waves crashing on the shore… I never feel more alive than I do in that moment.

The best experience I had on the beach was one night on the fourth of July. Such a night where there is so much going on, fireworks shooting along the shore as far as I could see… I laid there for hours. As the craziness died down, all I could see for miles were stars. I started realizing how big the universe was and how very small I was. It was a very spiritual moment. I had never felt so insignificant and small that I prayed that God would send me a sign to show me that I was loved and that I was small, but still significant to Him.

And then I saw it… a shooting star flashed across the sky. It was as if it was shot across from God himself saying “Stephanie, this is for you.” And the beach came back alive again.

Ever since that moment, the beach has become my spiritual place. It was as if that star stamped that spot as my special place to meet with God. He moves in me every day, but he dances with me at the beach. And I ache for those times to be completely in His presence, fully alive and energized.