We stood in the dark, our feet in the cool sand. Bundled in sweatshirts though it was the middle of the summer, both of us stayed silent, listening to the breeze and the crashing waves.
"I love the beach at night," I said to my sister.
"Me too. It reminds me of heaven."
I looked at her, looked back out at the ocean, trying to make out the dark horizon line, and agreed.
"Yeah..."
We stayed at the edge of the water as long as we could before being beckoned back to the bonfire. In that moment, I became acutely aware of the vast beauty surrounding me, and I am comforted as I think of it from time to time. I began reflecting on why the beach at night is like heaven. An obvious initial response might be that all of creation reflects God, but I believe the metaphor goes deeper.
When looking out at the ocean, its expanse is too far for the eye to see. We can hardly even fathom that by going all the way out there into the unknown we would find land again. This experience is heightened at night, and I can't help but imagine the glory of God and how we can only get a taste of it! We know all too well the struggle in trust it takes to live life as a fully committed Christian, but think about this -- who really wants to stay on the beach? As hard as it is, if asked by someone "Do you want to continue doing the same thing or trust in the GOD of creation and experience the absolutely new?" which would you choose?
I like thinking there is someone so much greater than myself because honestly, I kinda suck sometimes. And that's an understatement...So I think I'm going to work on trusting that someone a little more.
Which is NEW for me...
