As you head into your vacation, try to leave your worries about home and work behind on purpose. If anxious thoughts follow you into your vacation, don’t panic or get frustrated with yourself. Just pray about all of your concerns, trust God to help you with them, and return your focus to the present moment.

During my husband’s military tenure, we often set eyes on the ocean and wiggled toes in the sand. Our life embraced coastal living with sea and shore for many years. However, we didn’t love living near the water. “Give us a cabin in the mountain,” we championed. Over time, however, we warmed to the beach. We came to love it, and I grew to sense God’s presence at the shore in beautiful ways. I’m convinced something special exists at the beach – that God Himself meets us there. Maybe it’s the breeze evidenced as it flows through a head of hair, championing God Himself – invisible, yet visible through His works. Or, perhaps it’s the rolling ocean, rushing forward to greet visitors, only to retreat as if coaxing our entry. Faith swims in those waters. Several verses alluding to beach elements reside in the Bible as well. They point to our Father and His goodness. Below are nine of those verses and their accompanying attributes. Take them with you whether you head to the beach or simply dream of sifting sand this summer. Image Credit: Unsplash.com

OCD is often reduced to jokes about neatness or organization, but the disorder is far more painful and complex.

As you head into your vacation, try to leave your worries about home and work behind on purpose. If anxious thoughts follow you into your vacation, don’t panic or get frustrated with yourself. Just pray about all of your concerns, trust God to help you with them, and return your focus to the present moment.

It’s easy to encourage your child in his faith, and it’s easy to hurt your child’s faith. In my experience, parents tend to make a few common mistakes that ultimately hurt their child’s faith.