At the Beach

 One summer Scott
and I flew to San Diego to visit our cousin Zelda.  While there, we spent some time at the Pacific Ocean’s shore. 
Just standing at a very small edge of this huge body of water was
awe-inspiring.  Looking outward from my
vantage point on the sand, I could not imagine the immensity of this vast body
of water, stretching for thousands of miles in every direction.  I spent some time wandering along the shore,
always looking out to the water.  The
waves never ceased.  Constantly they
rushed the beach, always the same, yet always different.  They followed one another, curling and
rolling, white spray flying high.  White
gulls skimmed the water’s surface, diving into the tops of the waves to capture
fish for breakfast.  Each wave must have
contained thousands of gallons of moving, roiling, rushing water.  Their strength amazed me.  Even when I stood ankle deep at the very edge
of this ocean, the waves, running to the shore and then back home, pulled at
me, nearly knocking me off my feet. 
“Come out into the deep,” they seemed to say. The locals said, “Always
face the waves.”  I learned to keep my
eyes on the waves and never underestimate their power. 


I tried to discern
a pattern in the way the waves ran at the beach, but the variety was
endless.  They came in intervals—for a
time many smaller waves hit the beach, then bigger waves—wave after
wave—pounded the shore, rolling, breaking, rushing to the sands, and then
retreating.  The sound of the waves was astounding. Right
at my feet was always the soft, sibilant sound of waves running at the beach,
scrubbing the sand, then running back home, pulled by the ocean as a small
child runs back to her mother and father. 
But farther out, where the waves curled on themselves and broke, the
waters boomed and roared, boomed and roared. 
Even from a half mile away their crashing noise echoed.   I closed my eyes and soaked in the sounds of
this majestic ocean.  The early morning
air was cool, and I basked in the amazing experience, wishing I could stay
longer.  I stood, I looked, I listened,
trying to absorb it all.


It occurred to me
that the incredible beauty, immensity, and power of the ocean are, on a small
scale, a reflection of our miraculous God. 
When I stood on the beach and gazed at the ocean, it seemed so enormous,
yet I viewed only an infinitesimal portion of this massive body of water.


So it is with
God.  We are privileged at times to catch
glimpses of God’s immensity, but we see only a small portion.  We glimpse His power, yet we experience just
a tiny glimpse of His majesty.  In Isaiah
45:15, we read, “Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of
Israel.”    Paul reminds us how little we
know of our awesome God in I Corinthians 13:12. 
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face
to face.  Now I know in part; then I
shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”


God, thank you for
the tangible reminders of Your greatness. “The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas
have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.  Mightier than the thunder of the great
waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty.”           Psalms 93:3-4



Beauty

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“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it.”

Thank you Father, for the opportunity to be your child and to bask in your love. Thank you for the beauty all around us, so beautiful it can take our breath away.

Friday Prayer Challenge

I challenge you to pray this scripture today.

Matthew 18: 19-20 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Lord, I thank you for the friends and family who join me in worshipping you and who seek to understand you will. Together, we can utilize your strength and wisdom for good.

A Hungry Soul

The little soul lived for many years in the same woods. The sun shone on her leafy branches, and she produced much fruit. After many years the trees around this soul grew and their branches met above her head. Those branches provided comfortable shade. She was content in the place she’d always grown. She knew every plant in the woods.

After a time, the little soul felt discontent. When a storm raged overhead, the towering branches swayed and clashed together. Sometimes huge branches broke off the trees and crashed to the forest floor, clipping her own branches. On sunny days, she never saw the sun, for the shade had grown too deep. After a time, the little soul realized she was not being fed; she was no longer growing. She no longer felt the sun’s rays stimulating growth. Even though she was content in her comfortable shady woods, she was hungry. Her leaves drooped. Her fruit dried up and dropped to the ground. She no longer produced new fruit. She had become stagnant.

She pondered her situation. The woods were dark, deep, and comfortable. She wanted to stay, but she longed to grow and once again bear fruit.

After much thought, she made her decision. With great effort and great sadness, she pulled her roots out of the familiar soil and moved from her shady spot. She traveled to another, less familiar location. Here she lived with strangers. Here she was the outsider. Here the summer was harsh and hot with the unfamiliar and the new. But she planted her roots in the sunny spot where she knew she’d appease her hunger. She longed for the challenge of new growth. She looked up at the sun, lifted her branches heavenward, sighed as the breeze rustled through her leaves, and grew once again. 

He Uses Suffering

God always seems bigger to those who need him most. And suffering is the tool he uses to help us need him more.”

`~Joni Eareckson Tada ~

Lord, I used to think it was strange that Paul said we should be grateful for suffering. Now I understand that it is through suffering that I draw closer to you, and I better understand how much I need you. Thank you for all the ways you care for me and teach me, even in suffering.

Friday Prayer Challenge

I challenge you to prayer this scripture for your unbelieving friends.

I John3:1

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.”

Father, I am so thankful that you have adopted me into your family. Thank you for loving all your children and gifting them with spiritual blessings. Today I pray for my friends and family members who do not know your saving grace. Please open their hearts. Open their ears and eyes that they may see and understand how much you love them and long to bless them. May they seek you and find you.

Call on Him

All He asks is that we call on Him.

Father, too often I rely on my own weaknesses instead of calling on your strength. Forgive me and keep turning to You and calling on You in all circumstances.