Ocean

Yesterday as we walked along the beach, Noah and Lydia raced along the waters edge. When an approaching wave would roll ashore, they would race back to safety, only to run back down as the water regressed again. Noah, at 15 months, was unsure about the ocean altogether, but he was easily distracted by the sand and shells. He'd forget about the water and run toward the ocean, which was alarming because one wave would easily knock him down and under. Lydia, almost 4, was definitely aware of the danger and was afraid of "getting drownded," yet she still ventured toward the ocean confident she could outrun the potential danger.
Sometimes we as Christians are like my Noah. We are distracted by the world and get entangled in sin before we realize it. We are not looking toward the danger at all, and are completely blindsided by a wave.
Other times we are more like my Lydia. We realize the danger of sin, but still we inch closer, confident in our own abilities to run back when we need to. We see the wave coming, and intend to flee, but we have gotten too close and are in too deep before we realize it.
In both cases, the waves of sin knock us down and hold us as though we have forgotten how to swim....or more importantly, how to call out to our lifeguard!