Don’t Let Fear Push You Back to Shore | Faith Devotional for Christian Women

Last week, I took a much-needed break to the Caribbean. Sunshine. Salt air. Ocean waves that whispered peace over every inch of me. That’s my happy place—the water. Something about the endless blue reminds me of God’s presence… vast, deep, and steady.

One afternoon, I walked out to meet some friends on the beach. They were drying off, packing up.

“Why y’all leaving?” I asked.

They pointed down the shore.

A fish had washed up on the sand. But this wasn’t just any fish. Its tail had been bitten clean off.
Evidence of something bigger, something stronger—probably a shark.

They saw it and said, “Yeah…we know what that means. We’re done for today.”

But me? I didn’t feel fear.

Because here’s what I know: when I step into the ocean, I’m not the only one in it. That’s just reality. And that fish? We have no idea when or where it was attacked. All we know is when it showed up on the shore.

How often do we see something broken—a relationship, a dream, a past mistake—and instantly assume it’s a threat? One glimpse of damage and we retreat. Not because God told us to go back, but because fear started whispering, What if?

That fish had no control. It was at the mercy of the tide. But you? You’re not powerless.

You prayed for this. Believed for this. And just as you start to breathe easy, here it comes—a memory, a warning, someone else’s story.

You start to question: Should I go back? Is this a sign to stop? Am I really safe here?

Let’s be clear:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7

Sometimes fear shows up dressed like wisdom. But the difference is this: fear keeps you stuck. Wisdom moves you forward—with intention.

That fish had no say in where it drifted. But you have the Word. You have the Holy Spirit. You have a sound mind.

You don’t have to be tossed around by fear, social media panic, or the shadows of what once happened. You get to move based on God’s voice—not someone else’s wound.

So let me ask you…

What made you stop swimming?

Was it fear?
A warning?
Somebody else’s experience?

And more importantly—did God tell you to go back, or did fear make that call?

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.”
— Psalm 42:7

There is beauty in the deep. There is presence in the deep. There is provision in the deep.

Don’t let trauma that wasn’t yours steal the testimony that is. Don’t let a bite you didn’t take block the blessing you’ve been promised.

You may not know what’s in the deep. But you do know Who called you to it.
And He’s bigger than the sharks.

Keep swimming, sis.
The shore may feel safer.
But the deep is where the growth is.