Written By: Zane Miller | Outreach Coordinator
A couple of years ago, on Oahu’s North Shore, I had one of those moments in the water that humbles you fast.
I was there hoping to photograph Pipeline from the water, but plans changed, and instead we ended up at Haleiwa. I had never shot there before and was already hesitant about swimming out. Yet after some peer pressure, I put on my fins, grabbed my camera housing, and jumped in.
Once I was on the outside, I realized I had severely underestimated the conditions. The current was stronger than I had expected, and the waves were big, probably 10–12 foot faces. A set came through. Heart in my throat, I made it over the first wave, but the next several detonated on my head. After getting completely obliterated, I finally made it back outside. I was completely gassed and had ended up in the sweeping current on the wrong side of the peak. I was getting pulled north, away from the lineup. Then the trade wind picked up, and before long, I wasn’t just out of position, I was being swept farther and farther away from shore and out to sea.
I swam against that current on my own for about 40 minutes. In certain moments, I thought I was going to make it back. At other moments, I thought my feet might never touch dry ground again.
I kept thinking I could power my way back to shore. If I just worked harder, kicked harder, stayed calm, and kept grinding, maybe I could get back in. I was getting nowhere. At some point, I had to face reality: no matter how hard I tried, my striving was not enough. So I did the only thing left to do. I waved to the lifeguard tower for help.
That moment feels like a picture of sin.
Sin is like a sweeping current. At first, it feels manageable. You think you can stay in control. When life gets tough, you can pull yourself out of it. But the deeper you get, the more you realize you are caught in something stronger than yourself. Jesus says in
John 8:34, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”
Apart from Him, that is our condition: slaves to sin. Sin is not just a few bad decisions. It is a power that drags us, traps us, and leaves us unable to save ourselves even when we want to. The Apostle Paul wrestles with this in the Book of Romans,
Romans 7:18-19 “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”
Our instinct is to strive. We think if we work harder, do better, clean ourselves up, or get more disciplined, we can somehow save ourselves. But eventually, we come to the end of ourselves. We realize our effort cannot free us from our fallen nature. We do not just need improvement. We need a Savior.
That is why repentance matters.
Waving for help meant admitting I was in trouble. It meant exposing myself. It meant letting go of pride and acknowledging that I could not manage my situation on my own. Repentance works the same way. It is not just feeling bad. It is confessing the truth about our sin and our need for rescue.
Yet, God does not leave us in our sin. This is where the Gospel comes in.
The lifeguard left the safety of the beach and entered the chaos of the ocean to come save me on a big yellow rescue board. In an even greater way, God entered our broken world in Jesus Christ. John writes,
John 1:4-5 “In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Jesus stepped into our darkness, our sin, and our helplessness to save us. Through His death and resurrection, He rescues us completely. Paul’s earlier admission is answered by this declaration,
Romans 8:1 “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Human life in a fallen world is marked by sin and darkness, but Christ shines His light into that darkness and brings us safely home. As the Apostle Peter writes,
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Maybe you have been striving for a long time. Maybe you are exhausted from fighting a current you cannot beat. Stop trying to save yourself. Wave for help. Bring your sin into the light. Admit your need. As John writes,
1 John 1:7-9 “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
You do not need to be strong enough.
You need Jesus.
And in Him, there is life, light, and no condemnation.