Christmas and I find myself on a client trip to the Gulf Coast.
It’s been a good trip, but I had no idea how good until this morning. I went on
a long run along the beach and saw God.
of the ocean that always brings perspective to me. It’s so easy to get bogged
down in the daily details of time, space and relationships—beating yourself up
for the little things; something you said…or didn’t say; stuff you did or
didn’t do. The minutiae of daily life, although important, can be stifling…and then
you come to the sea.
from the street running parallel to the water when it hit me; even before I saw
it, I could hear it and smell it. I could feel the pull of its enormity. It was
like walking up the ramp into Busch or Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. You feel the presence of the game
before you actually see the field. You can hear the buzz of the crowd, then you
come out into the open and you see the bright green grass, the orange infield
dirt, the sharp white of the home uniforms…for me there’s nothing quite like
it. This morning with baseball season long since over, I had the same feeling.
For an Oklahoma boy like me, the ocean can be
overwhelming. As I ran along the beach, the endlessness of God and His vast
creation washed over me. It was a moment of clarity. It was probably similar to
what David felt when he wrote Psalm 8: When
I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son
of man that you care for him?
that hit me this morning is that He is
mindful of me. He does think about me and reach out for me and pursue me
and love me. That’s the truth. The God who holds the oceans of the earth in the
palm of His hand cares about me—and He cares about you.
He cared about you and was
thinking about you 2000 years ago when He sent His only son to be born in Bethlehem for one
reason…to die for you. He cared about you then and he cares about you today
when He sends His grace and peace to help you with the daily details or He
gives you a peek at the vastness of His presence.
How about some haiku?
The sea is endless
Wave after wave comes to me
God is in this sea
role in my life. I thank you for the relationship that God has made possible
and I don’t take our friendship for granted. God has you in my life and me in
yours for a reason and for that I am thankful.
M.
Mike,
You are so right. What little we really understand is truly amazing. I have shared the Mel story “The other Jesus” with several, as it has played a big part of my thoughts while Christmas shopping, and it is so cool how God works. I had read the story, thought about the story and then on Sunday our Pastor who had not read the story spoke of one of the reasons the Christ child was born in a manager,if he had been born a rich child not just anyone could get into the palace to visit him as it was, being born in a manager all were able to visit and spend time with our Lord and Savior. I hope we all take that time this New Year, as I can see Mike you have already got a head start.