Jan 6
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My feet dug into the Gulf of Mexico’s white powdery sand as my husband and sat hand in hand waiting for the sunset. Total contentment. I’m a lover of the beach, of my husband and the Lord, and this moment was a little piece of heaven on earth. We talked about nothing and everything. We watched pelicans dine and people play. We listened to the waves fold into the shore playing chimes with the seashells. We watched Creator God paint the quickly changing horizon. Reclining back for a minute in my beach chair, I looked up where the sky was bluer than the sea. There, wispy white clouds outlined a heart and, as if I was alone on this beach, it seemed the Lord had Brush-stroked it just for me. Still denying any others around me, I watched as the heart soon dissipated. Even in the brightness of pre-dawn, the subtle sun rays promised quite a show tonight. As if God Himself shone down from heaven, we’ve always been enamored by the radiance of a sunbeam. Today the sky was bursting with them and I was doing the same waiting anxiously for my husband to notice. I couldn’t wait to enjoy them together. Soon their presence would be undeniable. The sun dropped lower as the sky grew darker, and just like the world counting down to this New Year’s Day only hours ago, 3-2-1 the brightness of the light shone through. My husband’s reaction did not disappoint. God was near. Now, the great mass of a darkened ocean, coastline as far as the eye could see, unbounded sea shells and sand all performed under the sky’s grandest light show. Highlighting every reflection of light, the Lord shone through.
The world is a dark, broken place. Sin rages and evil is rampant. But God is light. You and I won’t get through this year without knowing the pain of sin; look for the light even if it’s hard to see at first, because God is there. His light is beautiful and pure. Sometimes the light of the Lord is shines over our life wrapping us in the warmth of His glory and love, and it feels so good. Yet there are times when the same light illuminates our own sin like the sun glaring through a dirty windshield as we drive toward the sun. Clean up the sin, and keep moving toward the Son. In eternity, there will be no sin and there will be no darkness. For now we can look inward and keep our hearts clean before the Lord and we can look outward in a dark world knowing God is light and if we watch expectantly for Him we will see Him.
I John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Heavenly Father, Creator God, your work is more than beautiful. I am in awe to see a glimpse of what Your hand continues to do. Lord, thank You for Your light, and that You ARE light.
