I See God

In the short quiet moments reading a book in a bookstore sipping coffee while the rain pours down outside

In the warmth of the rays of sun on my skin

In the softness of a pillow after a long day
In the graciousness and patience of the ones in my life whom I hold dear,
In the beauty of a sunrise on the beach--
That is where I see God.
I see him in the face of my beautiful niece, and in the innocent faces of little children everywhere.
I hear him in the loving words and see him in the loving glances that pass between my grandparents.

It baffles me to think that out of all the billions of people in the world, He sees me. And not only does he see me, but He cares about me, loves me, and is concerned with the state of my heart and soul. He loves me with a passionate, unrestrained, unchecked, crazy love that puts all other forms of love to shame.
He is everything to everyone.
He is a father and husband to the abandoned mother and child; He is in passionate pursuit of the discouraged lover. He is a friend to those that are alone, a Healer to the sick, and rest for the weary. He meets every person in their moment of need, fully knowing and fully giving them all that they lack.

As I watched the sunrise this morning, sitting on my towel on the beach, the coolness of the sand seeping into my skin, I felt as if my eyes had been opened for the very first time. As I saw the sun rising above the scattered clouds, casting its glow onto the ocean and sand before me, and the waves crashing in front of it, I tried my best to take it all in--to take a mental snapshot. I do not have a photographic memory, but it is in times like these when I long for such. The glory of it all was too much for one person to behold.

It was as if the perpetual motion of the waves and rising of the sun, neither able to be slowed or stopped, propelled my thoughts into motion as well. I found myself wandering, as I sat there, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face and trying my best to partake in the beauty around me, how everything stayed in motion so perfectly. The rising and setting of the sun, the waves, the tide, and the mystery of the wind. Thoughts of wishful understanding filled my mind as I thought about and reflected on the roundness of the earth, gravity, and how we all seem to be standing erect, even when we are standing on a globe, feet glued to the surface by and invisible, immeasurable force.

Of course, God is the one who puts it all into motion, and keeps it that way. He is the one who guides the moon that controls the high and low tides; it is His breath that I feel upon my face as I drive with my windows down, letting the wind sweep through my car and rearrange my thoughts. I guess I don't have to understand it all. That is the beauty of it all. He made it, and He understands it. His ways are so far above my own, that I should simply rest in the assurance that He is in control. Put all wishful thinking and dreams of understanding things fully behind, and move forward, only hoping to see God.

In the first blossom of springtime after a long, cold, snowy winter
In the eyes of one who loves you unconditionally, no matter what you do
In the warm embrace of a loved one you have been separated from for a long while
In an elderly couple holding hands as they walk, even after being together for more than 60 years
In the softness of the rain on your face on a summer afternoon
In the aroma of a field full of daisies, begging you to come and make your bed among them.

flaws

Humans are so flawed. We disappoint each other, break promisees, tell lies and purposefully deceive one another. I'm not sure how we even stand to live with one another. We are selfish, prideful and stupid, and we fail to see how we hurt others with something as simple as a look, a word, or a thought. Truthfully, we are terrible towards each other. It's a good thing we have a God who is the complete opposite of us. He never disappoints, he never fails, he never lies or deceives us. He always keeps his promises and will never do anything to hurt us. In fact, on the contrary, he does everything he can in order to protect us from the world and all its evils. And, amazingly enough, he keeps his promises out of his own will. He makes promises to us because he wants to and because he loves us. And then on top of that, he promises us that if we put our hope in him, we will never be disappointed. That truth is amazing to me. Why then, do we still think, time after time, that a human can fulfill us and never let us down? We are all human and we all let each other down every now and then. If we put pressure on other humans to never fail us, we are already setting ourselves up for disappointment. If we would just put our hope and faith in God alone, then we would have an eternal hope and joy that cannot be snuffed out, regardless of circumstances. To have the outlook that all is well, even though humans fail us, disappoint us, and fail to keep their promises-- that is a real blessing. To have enough  perspective to see the big picture even when things go wrong...that is when you learn to be truly happy, and find your joy in the amazing faithfulness of our Savior.

Thou Shalt Not Steal

ok so here's what I'm thinking...I have had an ipod since I was like a junior in high school, so roughly 4 years now. Not the same ipod, (I've had 2 different ones), but still. I know that not everyone is fortunate to have one, but if you attend college, I'm pretty sure you have the funds (or your parents do) to own an ipod. So, WHY DO YOU  NEED MINE? I'll never understand people who steal things. Like, everytime you look at it, doesn't it just remind you of the person you took it from and don't you wonder if they were upset or wanted it back? Do you really just not care about anyone but yourself? And most likely, since our campus is so small, I'm probably gonna see you at some point, even though I won't know of your horrible deed. But you will. How can you even live with yourself?

I am just frustrated. I use my ipod for so many things, and I'm about to take a 12 hour drive to the beach. without it. Also, there was a Nike chip plugged in it that works with a sensor in my shoe that I use when I run to see how far I've run, my time, and how many calories I've burned. So needless to say, it's a pretty important item in my life. Finders are NOT keepers, and didn't everyone learn when they were a kid that stealing is wrong? I thought so. But I guess not. Ugh I just want it baaaaccckkk. Either that or the funds to buy a new one. But I definitely do not. Not even close.