Beach Flag Days – A Metaphor for Life
- Candyce Carden
- Sep 5, 2023
- 3 min read
by Candyce Carden @CandyceCarden
You’re no doubt familiar with the color-coded flag system in place at the beach:
Green Flag – calm conditions and low risk; the safest
Yellow Flag – moderate surf or current; medium risk
Red Flag – high surf and strong current; extreme hazard threat
Double Red Flag – the water is closed
I spend a fair amount of time in Destin, Florida. This summer, the number of drownings on the Gulf Coast on yellow flag days has alarmed me. As June ended, at least eleven people had drowned after getting caught in rip currents. Panama City alone claimed seven victims, all male.
Yellow flags are commonly on display right down the road from Panama City in Destin. People don’t pay attention to these cautionary flags, which fly almost daily. The waters don’t appear all that threatening, and the ocean fills with folks taking a dip to cool off. All seems well.
Green flags fly less often. But occasionally, calm conditions prevail and present a low hazard risk day.
Red flags are a rare sight in Destin. During the threat of the recent Hurricane Idalia, I saw my first red flag. The waters were ferocious and visitors avoided the thrashing waves—except for a few surfers.
Beach Flag Days Can Serve as a Metaphor for Life
The Red Flag Days
In the life of a Christian, the red flag days are those which automatically drive us to the safety of our Savior. We are on high alert when we face health issues for ourselves or loved ones. Alarm bells clang through our system when a sudden loss derails our carefully laid-out path. Weighed down with anxiety, exhausted from sleepless nights and the dance of moving one step forward, then two steps back, we cling tightly to God.
And God draws us close and gives us the peace, reassurance and love we need. Satan doesn’t stand a chance during our Red Flag Days.
The Green Flag Days
The green flag days are the mountaintops for us. God answers a prayer we’e just about given up on. We land the desired job. A wayward child graduates college. The doctor deemed our mother cancer-free after many roller coaster months of chemo. During the green flag days, our heart points to God. We rejoice and praise our Savior all the day long.
Satan avoids us during these highs because our faith holds strong.
The Yellow Flag Days
Most of the time, life is a yellow flag day. Christians need to beware of the yellow flag. Life grows mundane. A few bumps, some slightly shifting sand beneath our feet, but nothing we can’t handle. We sleepwalk through our days, meeting responsibilities with little friction.
We might even grow bored with the sameness. We take God’s gifts for granted, because of the sheer abundance of them, and forget the Giver.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father… (James 1:17 ESV)
When we’re bored, we fail to seek His face, focus on His goodness, or invite Him into our day. We’re more likely to drift from God during yellow flag days, unaware of the moderate rip current, the undertow of Satan.
Satan knows we’re more vulnerable during yellow flag days. Maybe we crave excitement to take the edge off our boredom. We might look toward worldly attractions. Satan lurks nearby when we reach this point, and he’s sneaky. He’ll do all He can to drive a wedge between us and God.
Satan searches out the weakest among us to wreak his havoc.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8 NIV).
We must keep our guard up at all times. God arms us to fight Satan, even in our weakness. He will protect our faith with his unlimited power. But we have to resist Satan’s pull by making time for God, no matter what color the flag is.
We must keep our guard up at all times. God arms us to fight Satan, even in our weakness. He will protect our faith with his unlimited power. But we have to actively resist Satan’s pull by making time for God, no matter what color the flag is.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11 NIV).
What color is your flag today?
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