baptized in the ocean

i waited patiently at the sea`s shore. the sky slowly becoming grey. the waves tumbling to my knees. they asked for next in line. it was my turn. i waded out into the water, black, overly large t-shirt becoming drenched as i walked farther, fighting the waves as they continued to pound me. i grabbed his arm and he held me firmly so i would not fall. “Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” he said to me. “YES!” i shouted, excitement swelling up inside of my body. “then it is my honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” i felt my body push down into the cold waves. imersed in the ocean`s salty, foamy liquid. God took everything that i had done to hurt him, to hurt others, to hurt myself. everything i had done that stopped my growth with Jesus was thrown away in that moment. He cleansed me. i came back to surface, letting the warm air deeply fill my lungs in one swift breath. “breathe in life,” the Lord said to me. i smiled at him and said thank you as i walked out of the water, completely renewed. a representation of giving my life back to Jesus after all this time of disobedience. as we waited for the other baptisms to be finished, cheering and screaming for those who made a decision to give their lives over to the Lord, the sky grew darker. we walked back to our blankets and towels, completely drenched in sand and salt. the wind started to pick up, telling us to leave. clouds surrounded us, strange shapes formed in awkward angles above. they approached us faster. darker. stranger. god was going to show us his power. the wind was no longer a breeze, but a sand storm. slapping us as we ran to the boardwalk passing over the dunes to the cars. we needed to get off the island. sand would strike my legs, arms, face in vicious, pounding blows. my life flashed before my eyes. fearfully, the Lord could take my life at any moment. but peace immediately overcame my body. if that were to happen, i would be with the creator of the universe. can you imagine the Lord standing before you?