beach, life

Four hours were spent here today.

This a recap of the "big thoughts" that entertained my mind 

as I sat enjoying the ocean:

powerful

beautiful

raw

rhythm

vast

comforting

calming

compelling

"How Great Thou Art"

(Hymn, Lyrics by Stuart K. Hine)

drawing

pulling

giving

taking

ebb

flow

"If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking...

oh, how He loves us..."

(From the song "How He loves us" ; Lyrics by John Mark McMillan)

crashing

whispering

beckoning

assuring

calming

to fully appreciate it, 

you have to put your feet in the water at least once.

As I walked the beach,

praying,

listening,

looking for "perfect" shells

I recognized a few specific things:

As a rule, I ignore and miss some beauty 

because I don't normally stop for shells that are broken.

Some of the beauty I saw was caused by the tumbling and abrasion of waves, sea salt and sand.

Brokenness sometimes exposes beauty and intricacies 

that would otherwise be hidden.

As beach time neared it's end

I contemplated how life and the beach

reflect each other.

A line from another song came to mind:

"waves of mercy, waves of grace"

The beach is a place where healing can happen,

but healing is more about the Healer than the place. 

God is the healer.

Without Him, no matter where I am, healing will not happen.

With Him, no matter where I am, healing is assured.