Girlfriend Moments: All of Creation Sings

Lord, your faithful love reaches to the heavens,

Your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the highest mountains;

Your judgements like the deepest sea.

Lord, you preserve man and beast.

God, your love is so valuable

that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

Psalm 36:45-7 HCSB

Hello, Girlfriends, from sunny Florida!

I have missed writing to you all and apologize for the long gap between posts. I do not have a computer with internet access here. Can you imagine? Ha ha! Finally my sister arrived last night with a mobile broadband card, so thank you, Shel!

Enjoying time with my mother and the kids has been refreshing and joyous. Laughter is truly good medicine for the body and soul. Breathing in fresh ocean air and basking in the sunshine, our spirits renew daily. The natural setting of the ocean provides the perfect backdrop for reflection, contemplation, and sharing. Bonds are strengthening and growing.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Proverbs 8:17

Directly outside the house, so graciously provided to us by the Grahns, is a beautiful golf course with a series of water holes. In the evening, the sunset colors the horizon and decorates the pond, giving us pause:

"You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you." Nehemiah 9:6

We have been blessed this week to both interact with and observe closely some of God's amazing creatures in natural habitats. Joslyn and I adventured through the dunes to a small inlet where we sat in awe on the beach, mesmerized by the free dolphin show. Panning across the water with the camera lens in anticipation of the smallest glimpse of a dolphin's fin, I captured this amazing photograph:

"How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number-living things both large and small. Psalm 104:24-25

God's perfect timing! Amen!

Earlier in the day, Emily and Mark were snorkeling when a manatee swam within 5 feet of them, freaking Emily out but fascinating Mark of course!

Joslyn climbed down the jetty for an up close and personal session with a pelican:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:1, 31

Another day, she and I walked within TWO feet of this blue heron, which then took off and perched on the top of a tree branch:

"Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:7-10

At this same location, Mark pursued this little guy until he was exhausted (the lizard, not Mark!):

"Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds." Psalm 148:7-10

And we watched this little guy eating his dinner:

He provides the animals with their food,
and the young ravens, what they cry for. Psalm 147:9 HCSB

But Mark's snake encounter capped the day, both for him and his little blonde-harired, highly-intrigued observer:

"Praise Him, hills and mountains, fruit trees and forests; all animals, tame and wild, reptiles and birds." Psalm 148:9, 10

I think an appearance by the alligator from the pond on the golf course would define this vacation for him! So far, no such luck. On the other hand, Joslyn is already dreaming about birds and beasts so I am not sure she would get any more rest if the alligator shows up!

Each rendezvous deepens our appreciation for our surroundings and provides topics for evening conversation. The hours beachside also give us time to meditate and ponder our experiences. My thoughts keep returning to the admiration and wonderment of God's creation. From the tiniest insects (called "no-see-ums" by the locals) to the vastness and power of the ocean containing dolphins, manatees, sea bass, and more, I can barely attempt to understand and appreciate the intricate and detailed connections of life on earth. Yet every day I open my eyes to observe yet another production of our Lord.

I cannot help believing that if we five travelers marvel at these few, minute instances of nature's revelation, how much more must the Maker of all cherish observing and interacting with us, His greatest creation. We are His children, His beloved. He adores us. Subjects to which we have no attachment capture our attention and emotions. Can you imagine God's response to everything developed by His Hand, especially you and me?

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

You are a treasure to your Father beyond anything we can know on earth. Nothing compares to you, and in return, not one thing on this earth can outshine Jesus Christ. He alone deserves our pinnacle praise, worship, admiration, awe, and amazement.

Christ "is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." Colossians 1:15-16

Soak in this truth, Girlfriends. If God were on vacation, you are His most amazing and favorite photograph of the entire trip. Your life is the captured moment He wants to blow up, frame, and hang in a prominent place as a treasured memory. You are His most revered souvenier, prized possession, and stupendous encounter. His scrapbook is full of you, you, and more of you! You laughing, crying, learning, working, creating, worshipping, trying, failing, believing, doubting, seeking: every aspect of your life is represented and brings a smile to His face.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:16-20 NLT

Ladies, I pray today that you will not only enjoy the blessings of this life which God so graciously provided for us, but also that you will remember the treasure you are to Him. I have a vision of the Lord gazing upon each one of you, smiling and pointing, just as I have viewed the dolphin emerging from the ocean or the heron soaring in flight. He is absolutely amazed, filled with awe, wonder, joy, peace, and pride when He views your life. I know the way He looks at you and how His heart swells. My eyes have seen. You are beautiful! God loves you, and Girlfriends, so do I!

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

Be blessed!