God can be seen every day by the seashore. Look in any direction, and there He is.
I see Him in the clockwork precision of the tides, ebbing and flowing right on schedule every day, day after day, year after year. I see Him in the orderly rising and setting of the sun and the moon, and in the course of the stars as they make their way across the heavens each night. I see Him in the refreshing late-afternoon showers that wash away the heat of the day and clear the crowds off the beaches. I see Him in the beautiful patterned shells, strewn in a kaleidoscope of color on the pristine sugar-white sand in the golden light of early morning. I see Him in the waves as they relentlessly tumble up on land and then gently retreat back into the sea. I see Him in the wind and its daily shift from sea breeze in the daytime to land breeze at night.
I see Him in the pod of dolphins frolicking just off the pier, with a baby dolphin doing its best to stick close to its mother, mimicking her every move. I see Him in the bright flash of color as the mackerel and other fish strike my lure while I am fishing; and in even in their eyes as they peer up at me once I have caught them before I release them to fight another angler on another day.
I see Him in the flight of laughing gulls as they return to roost each night, winging their way across the island as the sun sets. I see His hand in the unique way each of the shorebirds knows exactly where, when, and how to catch its next meal; the sandpipers and sanderlings dancing with the waves as they pluck crustaceans from the wet sand, the terns as they hover motionless above the surf before dive-bombing unsuspecting fish below; the pelicans as they crash into the surf, mouth agape, filling their pouch with minnows; the black skimmer using its elongated beak to skim small fish from the water as it flies just above the surface of the water; and the stealthy great blue heron stalking its prey along the water’s edge knowing just when to strike in order to catch an unlucky shiner.
The seashore is a microcosm of the larger world and like the stars and planets and tides and wildlife, each one is imprinted with beauty and precision by the Maker’s hand. How sad it is that we often live our days unknowingly, our hours slipping by, our minds and spirits oblivious to God’s order, His provision, His purposes, and the gift of life that each day brings. When I return home, perhaps I will remember these times by the seashore and remember that each day is unique and each day is precious.
I see Him in the clockwork precision of the tides, ebbing and flowing right on schedule every day, day after day, year after year. I see Him in the orderly rising and setting of the sun and the moon, and in the course of the stars as they make their way across the heavens each night. I see Him in the refreshing late-afternoon showers that wash away the heat of the day and clear the crowds off the beaches. I see Him in the beautiful patterned shells, strewn in a kaleidoscope of color on the pristine sugar-white sand in the golden light of early morning. I see Him in the waves as they relentlessly tumble up on land and then gently retreat back into the sea. I see Him in the wind and its daily shift from sea breeze in the daytime to land breeze at night.
I see Him in the pod of dolphins frolicking just off the pier, with a baby dolphin doing its best to stick close to its mother, mimicking her every move. I see Him in the bright flash of color as the mackerel and other fish strike my lure while I am fishing; and in even in their eyes as they peer up at me once I have caught them before I release them to fight another angler on another day.
I see Him in the flight of laughing gulls as they return to roost each night, winging their way across the island as the sun sets. I see His hand in the unique way each of the shorebirds knows exactly where, when, and how to catch its next meal; the sandpipers and sanderlings dancing with the waves as they pluck crustaceans from the wet sand, the terns as they hover motionless above the surf before dive-bombing unsuspecting fish below; the pelicans as they crash into the surf, mouth agape, filling their pouch with minnows; the black skimmer using its elongated beak to skim small fish from the water as it flies just above the surface of the water; and the stealthy great blue heron stalking its prey along the water’s edge knowing just when to strike in order to catch an unlucky shiner.
The seashore is a microcosm of the larger world and like the stars and planets and tides and wildlife, each one is imprinted with beauty and precision by the Maker’s hand. How sad it is that we often live our days unknowingly, our hours slipping by, our minds and spirits oblivious to God’s order, His provision, His purposes, and the gift of life that each day brings. When I return home, perhaps I will remember these times by the seashore and remember that each day is unique and each day is precious.
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