Handling the sneaker waves of life

When I was a kid growing up in New Jersey, my parents used to take us to the Jersey shore to see my grandparents on my dad’s side and during the summer we would go wading in the Atlantic Ocean.  Occasionally a sneaker wave would catch me off guard and tumble me head over heels, bounce me off the bottom a few times and fill my hair and ears with sand.  While I was being tumbled under the water, I often couldn’t tell which way was up until things settled down a bit.  

Life tends to be a lot like the ocean sending sneaker waves to turn us upside down and tumble us so that we lose our bearings.  

One pastor friend of ours shared candidly in one of his sermons that a lot of mornings he woke up like an unbeliever until he was able to spend some time with the Lord to get his bearings.  

The Catholic Church considers the creeds to be prayers to help us get our bearings and figure out which way is up, who we are and who God is as we encounter the sneaker waves of life.  One of the earliest creeds is the Apostles Creed and I find it to have a very stabilizing influence in my life when I pray it to God in the morning.  It helps me to remember my Creator, who He is and all that He has provided for me on my journey.  I am not alone on the journey.  He’s with me and so are my brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the ages to this present day.  And the Creed reminds me that God’s plans for me are for my good, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.  Amen.  

Praying the Creed helps me move from being a sleepy, clueless unbeliever to a believer with a mission as I navigate the sneaker waves of the day.

So when I am praying the Apostles Creed alone, I pray it as below in order to more clearly address it to God. I also drop the archaic English to make more like I am just talking to God as I declare my faith in Him and His plan of salvation for us all.

I believe in You, God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in You, Lord Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord. You were conceived by the Holy Spirit. You were born of the Virgin Mary. You suffered under Pontius Pilate. You were crucified, died and were buried. You descended into hell. The third day you rose again from the dead. You ascended into heaven and are seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence shall You come to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in You, Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen