When You Take God to the Beach with You
I love things in groups of five – acorns, sons, birds. It’s like God affirming All is Well. . . even if things don’t look or feel well. Five ibis’s were a sweet God message that He knows what my heart struggles with, reminding me to just let him keep holding what I’ve given him – “All is Well. Hands off and Hands up Daughter,” he reminded this week. “Trust me.”
A little guy, freshly-minted three-year-old overcoming fear to wear the face of bravery born. At the beginning the beginning of the week, my grandson was terrified of the water. Fear is a joy-stealer. But with gentle shepherding, he slew that monster fear to have The Best Time in the water! Thank you Father for sending people to help us overcome challenges!
Fruit Pizza Party on a Holiday Beach, Silly songs about Hop-Hop-Hopping in the Sea, Sea, Sea, and Norah Nuzzling Narwhals Noses Near Nome, sea shell hunting, oysters on the bay, and waiting with expectation to see the blessings God sent into each part of the daily.
One day I wanted to photograph pelicans. I waited but the pelicans were no-shows. God turned my focus to see other things, other than my pre-conceived notions. I had to let the idea of pelicans go, or I would have missed the blessings He did send.
He sent five-year-old giggles, an eight-year-old wanting to be a fisher-girl, two little boys being brave, teenagers playing volleyball, a beach-side newborn sleeping in the shade, children grown into parents doing what we did for so many years – and time for those silly songs and big giggles.
“A sunset like this bespeaks the road home lit with happiness,” my husband said the last night on our holiday with all our family but one as we watched the sun go down.
Thank you God for your gracious dealings, your generous bounties, the goodness for my family, the extravagant love in the seemingly simple things – and thank you for the blessings I’ll vintage as I look back at last week and remember, savoring all these sweet memories you’ve given me! You are a good! Good Father!
Remember Me Monday: #12 & Linky
“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message
In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!” (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”
While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.
“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.
Let us delight in Him by telling the stories of what He’s done! If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!
Rules? Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week!
Places I’m Linking at This Week:
Inspire Me Monday, Grace & Truth, Global Blogging, Senior Salon, Hearth and Home,
Purposeful Faith, Tell His Story, InstaEncouragement,
Recharge Wednesday, Worth Beyond Rubies,
Share a Link Wednesday, Lyli Dunbar, Let’s Have Coffee, Legacy Link-Up,
Tune In Thursday / Salt and Light
Grace and Truth, Faith on Fire, Blogger Voices Network
He has given me such joy in the midst of this period in our history. I almost cannot place “thing,” “stuff” into what exactly it is that gives me such. But my heart feels it. Your post is so filled with gratitude and love which makes me sing. So much of my life has been spent near a coastline so thinking about the birds, the waves, the waters makes me joyful. Now I live near forests and that makes me sing. God is lifting weights from me I imagine because I am desiring to draw nearer to Him. My post, “Bethesda” is about healing. I am feeling Jesus’ words and touch in my spiritual being more than physically. I feel His power and might through my heart. This is good.
Thank you for encouraging me this morning.
Linda – this right here, what you wrote, is beautiful praise to our Father! You say, “God is lifting weights from me” – and YES – that is what it feels like the closer we draw to Him, the more we give what weighs us down to Him, too! We have such a loving Father! Thank you for sharing your remembering, your praise for Him here! God is so good!
OH, it sounds like you had such a precious gathering time at the beach! And I love those lessons that God helped you to remember–He changes our perspective when we let go of our own. I am continually needing to remember that. Thank you for these sharing these beautiful thoughts and photos.
Letting go of my expectations and waiting for what He brings – that has been a life-changer for me. Waiting is hard for me – but I’m learning to live in the wait His way! Thanks so much for coming by!!! Shalom! ~ Maryleigh
Maryleigh, hi! And don’t you just love how we meet God at the beach or the store or while weeding the garden? His ever-presence is such an assurance and a joy, maybe even more than ever.
Bless you …
Linda – you express is to exactly – He’s there, always waiting, always ready for time with us – in the big and little places, but daily living is all about the seemingly little – and He leaves no throwaways! Bless you back! ~ Maryleigh