The beach holds a special place in my heart, because that is where I saw Jesus.  Now, I know you may think I am probably off my rocker, but I saw Jesus in a dream; however, was it a dream or reality?  All I can say is that I have never experienced any thing more real, because what actually happened was I had an out of body experience.  I could feel myself being pulled toward the light, and once I woke up, my arms were outreached all the way to my fingertips; I could still feel the pull once I was awake.  Had I died in my sleep?  I believe I did because I had stayed up all night gazing up at the beautiful night sky crying and asking Jesus to take my life.  I was on a balcony in a high rise hotel at Myrtle Beach Resort; I wanted to die because I could not see the horizon of my future.  Understand, I did not want to commit suicide; I was just praying Jesus would take my life because I wanted to be with Him.

So, after staying up all night, I finally went back to my room to get some sleep.  That was when I had the so-called dream.  In this so-called dream, I was walking around the resort near the pool, and all of a sudden the sky turned black as night, and as I looked up, I saw things dropping from the black sky; it was white horses with wings, and they started flying around combing natural habitat.  It was a gorgeous sight to behold, and I could not believe my eyes.  About that time, I took off at what must have been light-speed, and that is when I saw Jesus and the angels that flanked both sides of Him, and I flew right into Him.  Traveling that fast, I obviously did not get a good look at Jesus, but right after I flew into Him is when I found myself in the light.

The light was absolutely amazing, and very hard to describe; I could not tell where the source of the light was coming from.  All I know is I have never felt so at peace, so comfortable, and so safe.  As I mentioned before, the light was pulling me toward it, and so I started asking myself questions: What will my family think if I die, what would my friends say?  Then I thought to myself, “I am not ready to die”, and I took off at light-speed again, and that is when I woke up with my arms outreached and still feeling the pull running through my body.  I was only seventeen or eighteen when this happened, but why did it happen?  Perhaps Jesus was telling me I still had so much to live for.

That day after I woke up, I felt confused and disoriented; I could not believe what I had seen and experienced.  At a time in my life when I was depressed enough to sit on a balcony crying and begging Jesus to take my life, He did.  Jesus took my life and showed me what I really did not want to happen regardless of how my life was going.  Honestly, a part of me still wanted to be with Jesus, but today I realize He has been with me and I with Him every since the day I decided to ask him into my heart.  I will also say that the experience broke me like a wild horse.  Maybe Jesus was also telling me to start over, but at that time I was just heartbroken that I could not be with him, but I knew He wanted me to continue on knowing He was there watching over me.

Well, a lot has happened since that faithful night; I am still here, and I think about my experience every single day.  I am fortunate to be alive with every thing I have been through.  I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food in my belly, but maybe, just maybe, I will never be fully satisfied until I get to talk to Jesus face to face.  I want to ask Jesus why?  Why was I able to see Him when I did not deserve it?  Was it my desperation that took me to the light?  Was it simply to say I am loved despite my shortcomings?  I can only speculate; but there is no speculation when it comes to knowing that Jesus loves me, and while I hope it is a long ways away, I know one sweet day I will be in the light once more.  Jesus saved me in more ways than one; perhaps that is why Luke 1:37 is my life verse: For with God nothing shall be impossible.

So, that is my story.  That is why I feel so at home when I am at the beach; it is my happy place.  God works in mysterious ways, and sometimes, He works in ways we can not fathom, but I know He is working in my life.  I know God is working in your life as well, because God is constantly pursuing us whether we have opened out hearts to Him or not.  I believed in God before I was saved, but asking Him into your heart and forgiving you of your sins is when you take notice of Him working in your life, and you start to believe in Him even more.

Take care and God bless!

Chris