a thousand trips to the ocean

I have probably literally been to the ocean over 100 times in my life. Every summer growing up, my family would take a vacation to the beach. I went to college in a beach town, and as an adult I’ve visited a beach destination at least twice a year. Suffice it to say, I love the ocean. I love the sound of the waves crashing the shore. I love the picturesque blue of the water. I love the sun beaming overhead. I love the gentle coolness of the refreshing water. I love everything about God’s beauty manifested in the ocean. For as many times as I’ve been to the ocean, I’m always in awe when I look out into the horizon and watch the water meet the sky. It seems so limitless to me, but Psalm 13:7 says that “He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.” Wow! When I meditate just on that fact that he can draw borders for such massive bodies of water, how much more can He do for me? The Bible also says that He subdues the waves (Psalm 89:9) and He split the sea by His strength (Psalm 74:13). When I need to be reminded of the power and beauty of my maker, all I need is one glance into the expanse of those mighty blue waters.

A few weeks ago, I was at the beach with a friend and her family. We spent 7 glorious days frolicking in the waves, laying in the sand, soaking in the sun and the ocean air. It was everything I needed and more. As this probably was my 101st trip to the beach, I never stopped to realize that this might be someone else’s first time at the ocean.

On the last day of our trip, they gave me the task of giving away the expensive floats we had bought for the week. Everyone else went back to the condo to shower and get ready for dinner, and I stayed back to enjoy my last evening on the beach and to make sure those floats got in the right hands. Earlier that day I had read Psalm 27, and I was particularly struck with the part that said to gaze on the beauty of the Lord. I thought wouldn’t it be amazing if I could behold God’s beauty every day, whether at the ocean or not. That day I had certainly beheld His beauty as I watched the clouds roll over the perfectly clear water. It was as if The Lord of the universe was calling my name. But that’s not what brought tears to my eyes that day.

As I lay on the last float waiting to give it away, I noticed a girl and her mom pass by. The girl, no more than 8 years old, held her mom’s hand as they walked on the edge of the water. A few minutes later, they passed again. This time I stopped them and asked if they wanted our float. They were surprised at the gesture, but they took the float, and I told the little girl to enjoy. As I packed up my things to leave, I couldn’t help but watch this little girl and her new float. First she ran to her dad to show him the float, then she and her mom ventured into the water with the tube. She situated herself atop ready to ride her first wave. And as the wave came crashing, she flipped over. I felt a pang in my stomach, as I watched her run out of the water and back to her dad. Don’t quit, I thought to myself. She grabbed her towel and wiped her face and back into the water she went. And again she crashed with the wave into the water, and again she ran for her towel. Three times this series of events happened. I hoped she would not give up. I hoped she’d keep going. Again she jumped up on the tube, this wave bigger than the rest knocked her over into the water. I watched and waited for her reaction. She hopped up, wiped her eyes with her hands and was ready to tackle the next wave. Tears streamed in my eyes as I beheld the beauty of The Lord through the lens of this little girl’s first trip the ocean. And as the tide rolled them away, I watched her bounce on and off the float with glee, and I felt the joy of The Lord through her smile, her perseverance, her innocence, and her sweet spirit.

I hope to take a thousand trips to the ocean, knowing each one will hold a priceless treasure of God’s love, beauty, grandeur, and magnificence.

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God is Beautiful

It was late May 2013, my body ached from soreness and tiredness. My eyelids were heavy from sleep deprivation. My younger sister and I were on the last leg of a marathon trip through Europe. We had visited three countries in two weeks and were spending the last 4 days in an obscure Spanish beach city. We had arrived to Valencia earlier that morning by plane, then headed to a local bus station to board our bus for a 3 hour journey down the Spanish Coast. By the time we were on the bus, I was completely exhausted and entirely tired. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and drift into a much needed nap. Before falling asleep, I set my alarm to awaken me in two hours so that we wouldn’t miss our stop.

Little did I know that my phone was set to silent, and I would not hear the usual melody of the iPhone alarm.

I believe in the sovereignty of God in all things, so in addition to setting my alarm I said a quick prayer to God asking him to make sure we didn’t miss our stop. Then, I drifted into a deep, deep sleep. I’m not sure how long I slept before waking up, but when I looked down, my phone alarm was silently going off. And we were quickly approaching our bus stop. Awakened, I was suddenly super vigilant of our surroundings. At that very moment, I looked out the bus window, and there it was. A hand wrapped gift from God. I tried to pull out my phone to snap a pic, but I wasn’t quick enough. It was only a momentary glimpse. It was gone in a split second. Had I slept for a minute longer, I would have missed it. But God was gracious enough to allow me to see the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.

As we were driving down the Spanish coast, there was a spot where the cliffs and mountains met the ocean in perfect harmony. The blue hue of the water looked unreal contrast against the rocky cliffs. The sky and the ocean blended into the infinite horizon. The scene was perfection and reminded me of the beauty of God and His beautiful creation. Like an artist painting a masterpiece on his canvas, God handcrafted this earth and everything in it. The Bible says: “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” -Psalm 24:1-2.

If He takes that much care to create the ocean and mountains, then how much more care does He have for us, created in His image? Seeing scenes like that I feel very grateful to be part of His creation because He is a splendid artist and the earth and His people are His masterpieces.

God is beautiful, and so are His people. All of them.

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty– and I will meditate on your wonderful works. Psalm 145:5

Hope in the sand

Last week, I was vacationing with my family in the Caribbean, and my sister and I were frolicking on the beach, taking pictures, swimming, jumping in and out of the waves, and running along the sand. It was one of those moments of pure bliss. Then my sister began to write in the sand. She wrote “Life is beautiful.” Then took a cool picture and posted it on Instagram. Following suit, I wrote “Love” in the sand and quickly captured the picture.

Then, without much thought I began to write “Hope” in the sand next to our other words. As I was writing, a man walked by and made a comment as I was writing the word. I didn’t actually hear what he said; I just smiled and kept writing “Hope” in the sand. A few minutes later, as I was just about to snap a few pictures of my word, the same man came by again.

This time he stopped and said, “Oh, so that’s what you were writing, ‘Hope’. Can you tell me about that?”

I stood there dazed for a minute, was this man seriously asking me to explain hope? After processing his question, I began to explain hope to him, “Really, it’s simple; hope is everything. Without hope, we don’t have a reason to get up in the morning.”

He looked at me puzzled for a second, and then responded, “Where do you get your hope from?”

It was at that moment that I knew without a doubt the only answer to his question.

“God.”

We talked for another 15 minutes about God, Jesus, salvation and eternity. He asked questions about my faith, and as I answered them, I felt more and more empowered, and I knew that it wasn’t me speaking but God through me. While we were talking his young daughter nearly stepped on my sand drawing, and he stopped her saying, “No sweetie, don’t step there that’s very important. In fact, it’s everything.”

A few seconds later, I looked down and noticed the little girl writing “hope” next to my drawing. Her father smiled with tears in his eyes.

When we finished our conversation, I walked back to my lounge chair. A few minutes later the man reappeared. He apologized for bothering me again, but the words he spoke were so sincere and real as if God himself were speaking them. “You know how everything happens for a reason. I know why I came on this vacation. Not to eat good food, swim in the beach, shop, or hang out. There was a reason I was on this beach feeding these fish at this moment. That reason was to come across the “hope” in the sand. You have changed my life. Now I have a reason to keep going and keep living.”

That encounter changed my life as much as his. A reminder that even something as simple as writing in the sand can change someone’s life, and really hope is all there is. Hope for eternity, hope for a better world, hope for peace, hope for love, hope for change, hope for people, hope in God, hope for tomorrow.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13