Yesterday one of my dreams came true…I woke up and stepped down to the beach to watch the sunrise…amazing!!
I grew up on Long Island, New York, and then moved to Florida when I was eleven. So I was accustomed to spending a day at the beach from a young age. I have so many wonderful memories.
I had seen pictures of a sunrise on the beach before, but it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I was able to see the real thing with my own two eyes…the ocean and I, face to face.
I was absolutely transfixed by the sight of the sun rising above the water, transforming the surface to what looked like a sea of sparkling aquamarines and diamonds, while at the same time the sky was filled with the most amazing array of colors that I had ever seen….spectacular! It’s a memory that still has the power to take my breath away.
Ever since then I’ve wondered what it would be like to actually live by the beach and wake up to such a sight…and now I have a good ideaJ So beautiful!!!
Yesterday morning was really cold…only about 35 degrees. Then factor in the wind and the moisture in the air, and you get the idea….brrrr!! But despite the cool temps, I had to be out there on the beach.
If all I knew was the view from behind a sliding glass door, perhaps I wouldn’t have braved the elements. But I had been there before…and knew that if it looked that wonderful from behind the glass, it would be far better with nothing between.
So at first I bundled up and stepped out onto the balcony, snapping a couple of pictures.
But the patio furniture and the pool was a distraction, so I went down to the water’s edge, and I was overwhelmed with the difference…to actually be in the presence of such magnificence…breathtaking!!!
No other distractions…just myself and the sun, water and sky.
Yet as I stood there, with my hands growing numb with the cold, trying to capture the beauty with my camera, I knew that none of the pictures would be able to do it justice…it’s one of those things where you simply have to be there.
And then I wondered how much a person who didn’t believe in God could actually appreciate such a sight. To not believe in a Creator would mean that somehow all that I was seeing happened by chance…that it could simply be explained by science…how sad!!
The truth is, witnessing such beauty in creation should lead us to worshipping the Creator…not the created. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” James 1:17a
Often we are so overwhelmed by something in creation that the tendency is to almost bow before it…and many have…when the truth is that it is only a reflection of the glory of God Himself!
Remember, He created every artist ever born, and gave them the ability to try to capture the beauty of that which He also created…such as a sunset. Careful, you might get dizzy trying to figure that one out!
That’s what motivates me to rise early (most days) and to spend time with the Creator of all sunrises, and everything else that I have seen and not seen.
Jesus tells us that He stands at the door and knocks. That if we open the door He will come in and eat with us. That He longs for intimate interaction with His children. And not only at the point of our first moment of surrender, but every time we deliberately draw near, to spend time with Him.
When I draw near to Him, He draws close to me. It still staggers my mind sometimes, but he loves to spend time with me!
I don’t want to be content with seeing God from a distance…not when He beckons me to come closer…and to feel His breathe on my face. To sit on His lap and put my head on His chest in order to hear His heartbeat.
And although I know it doesn’t compare to what it will be like to truly be face to face someday, I know that for those moments, heaven and earth become one. I am in the presence of GOD. Unbelievable.
How can I be able to be so close to God and survive the encounter? Only because of His Son. Jesus paid the penalty for the sin that once separated us, so that I could have this relationship. The veil was torn and because I accepted His free gift of salvation, I have access to this profound intimacy…wow. It takes my breath away.
I’m working on posting a video of a sunrise in the next couple of days, so you can experience the beauty that I’m seeing. But as much as I want you to appreciate this wonder, it is far more important for me that you encounter the very God of all that we know.
He’s waiting for you….
Verses to ponder: James 1:17a, James 4:8, Hebrews 12:1-2
Dear Jenny, every Bible verse that you had written down in your article this week, I read those last week. That’s really funny.