We’re officially on vacation this week in sunny Florida. We drove down Saturday in one long haul. Our kids did amazingly well and my husband drove for long stretches like a champ. I kept myself awake, driving while he slept, by carving baby carrots into little totem poles with my teeth (whatever works, right?).
The reward for our efforts came yesterday when the kids ran into the Gulf of Mexico and smiles spread as they discovered the fun of riding the waves. We dug and dug in the sand and shells, hunting for shark’s teeth and came away with a healthy haul of black bone triangles.
Standing at the ocean’s edge as the waves rolled in, I realized they would not end. Each follows one after the other in a never-ending stream of rise and fall, crest and crash. Watching, I heard the words of one of my favorite hymns in a new light,
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward, to Thy glorious rest above!
This – these waves, spacious, incessant, without end – this is what the love of God is like.
Samuel Trevor Francis’ hymn makes prolific use of exclamation points throughout. Standing at the ocean’s edge, I can understand why.
Do you have a favorite image that speaks to you about the love of God? I’d love to hear about it!
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Welcome to the #SmallWonder link-up.
What if we chose to deliberately look for the small moments of wonder, the small sparks of presence, of delight or sorrow, of true humanity in which we meet God?
That’s my proposal – that we gather here each week to share one moment of Wonder from each of our days.
You’re invited to link-up a brief post about a small moment of wonder. Don’t worry if your post is too long, too short, or not just right – you’re welcome to come as you are.
While you’re here, please do take a look around and encourage at least one other blogger with a comment.
My garden. Definitely, my garden. Although I work very hard, I am ultimately dependent upon God to send rain and sunshine. He is always faithful in spite of my sporadic and uneven contribution in the weeding and tending department!
Happy vacation!
The ocean is indeed one of my favorite images for the love of God too. So powerful, so unrelenting, so faithful! Nothing we can do to stop it. His love just keeps rolling over us. We can either fight it or just relax and enjoy the waves.
It is amazing how nature testifies of God''s love for us. For me, it is the ocean, the expanse of the horizon, and mountains. May you have a wonderful vacation – restful & restorative! Blessings!
Love this, beautiful hymn!! I live near and love the ocean, and have precious childhood memories of family vacations on the Gulf of Mexico. Enjoy a blessed vacation with your family!
Oh how I love the beach! Yes… yes to all of this! That too is the place I feel Him present and big and more than able in my life! (I must find my way back to the sand and the shore soon!) xoxo
Babysitting today for one of my grandsons. Still amazed by babies' dimpled little hands. Fearfully and wonderfully made . . .
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