A little bit of heaven

It's been far to long since I have been to the ocean!
Too long since I have felt that watery fresh breeze on my face;

too long since I have smelt that salty air;

too long since I have heard the harmony of waves lapping the shore, seagulls shrieking off pitch and the sea water gurgling over the rocks as it drains into the receding ocean.

I've so missed picking my way over warm, dried stones, the treacherous seaweed cloaked pebbles, and the spiny barnacle-encrusted rocks;

I've ached to squish my toes in the wet sand and splash through the shallow pools.

Most of all, I've missed the quiet, the peace, the tranquility and wide open space of the empty beach, the wild free waters and clear expanse of blue sky.

One short hour on the beach last Thursday was all I needed to resurrect the old love I have of this magnificent part of God's creation. A few minutes on my own, just me and the waves, was all it took for me to be filled with such joy and peace. I was struck by the simple beauty of it all. The early afternoon sun struck the waters at a perfect angle, causing an array of diamond-like glitters and I know I will never see more beautiful stones than the ones shimmering on the seaside that day.

The quiet music of the gentle waves was more soothing to my ears than a world class symphony. It is so clear to me that man has attempted to create beauty and has succeeded to a degree, using God's creation in magnificent ways: cutting diamonds to sparkle to perfection, inventing intricate melodies to entertain thousands...but our attempts are merely that - attempts. God has perfected beauty. How awesome would it be to see the world as it was originally created! How often do we really think about the fact that this amazing, awe-inspiring world is the result of destruction!??! The catastrophe of a worldwide flood, sent to judge mankind resulted in this magnificence! How anyone can look at the world around them, experience true beauty, and not see God, is inconceivable to me! Truly they "suppress the truth in unrighteousness...For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:18b, 20).