Lessons from an ocean and a moon.

There was a full moon last week.

And of course the most beautiful place to drink in the moon is at the edge of the ocean, with your feet in the cool sand, where I feel closest to God.

As I pleasured in God’s creation at the beach, He imparted small tidbits of love and wisdom to me, because that’s who He is.

I wondered why I thought the moon was so beautiful. Scientifically it is a ball of ugly matter that reflects sunlight. Why is it that when we see it, we are consumed with such a sense of awe and beauty? Something so simple. Maybe its not so much the moon itself, but the fact that we inherently know it’s creator. When I look at the moon, I not only take in its beauty, but feel the majesty of the Creator. The moon reflects the sun. Without the sun, it is darkness. The heavens declare the glory of God. This ball of mass declares the glory of God, therefore it is beautiful. How can we not marvel at it, for it points us to the Creator.

I pondered a lyric from a song that I never get sick of… “If His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.” I dare you to stand at the edge of the ocean, as it reflects the moonlight, looking out as far as you can see, and imagine it as an ocean of grace. I sang the lyric over and over. My mind could barely comprehend it. My heart could barely accept it. Mercy is not getting something we deserve; grace is getting something we don’t deserve. His grace is so rich in our lives, we’re drowning in it. I’m drowning in riches I don’t deserve.  Why? Simply because He loves me. 

I looked at my footprints in the sand as I turned around and backtracked from where I came. I imagined the generations before me, making their mark on this earth as well. Maybe their feet walked in the very same sand I was walking on. The people who have done some of the greatest things, who have changed the world, walked on the same earth I do. They worked with the same materials I have, they used a brain designed just the way mine is. They left imprints on the earth, whether good or bad. Some we know of to this day, some we will never hear of. Parts of the imprints of my small feet were washed out by the edges of the waves coming up. I imagined the line of prints as my life. Some of it will be in the open for all to see, and some of it will be faithfulness lived out in the secret of my sanctuary, just like the prints no longer visible in the sand. The world may never see, but God does.

And finally, I listened. As the sound of the waves rested in my ears, God simply said “Be with me.” Because you see the theme of my life right now, and maybe yours as well, is what am I to do next? My brain never shuts off in trying to plan out my life, like trying to put a puzzle together. I constantly move the pieces around, looking at all my options, trying to make the right fit. I try to figure out what countries I want to go to, what missions I want to go on, the people I want to reach, the man I want to marry, the kids I want to have… and arrange it all in the most logical way.

God laughs.

“Be with me, Michelle.”

Be with Him. When we simply remain in his presence constantly, we can’t help but know the thoughts of His heart. When I’m that close to God, when I’m sitting in His lap, there’s no way I cannot hear him.

So be with Him today. Be drunk in His presence. Drink in the moon. Stand by the ocean. Marvel at his creation. Listen. Sing love songs to Him. Be taken up with Him.

When we do that, things will happen we never dreamed of. Great big things are coming, and instead of trying to figure them out, I’m going to simply be with my Jesus, and partake in whatever He has for me... for us.

“I want to take my passion, and put it in a bottle, just to break it at your feet.

I want to take my affections, put them in a bottle, just to waste them at your feet.”

~Misty Edwards, “Let Me Love You More”