Sunsets and Stones

The boys and I went to Jen's on Sunday and went to the beach again. We had a wonderful time. The kids played in the water and I got to have some "mom time" visiting with Jen and her friend Liz.

After we got done at the pond, we went back to Jen's house for dinner. Jen watched the kids while I was able to go and nourish one of my other loves, photography. I haven't been able to just go out and shoot by myself without two kiddos hanging on me for a long, long time. I love looking at evidence of how much God loves us by seeing how amazing His creation really is. I am blessed to have a best friend who's house is five minutes from what I consider to be the most beautiful place on this planet, Schoodic Point. If you've ever been there, you MUST go there before you die at least once. Put it on your bucket list. You'll be glad you did.

I had scoped out a few days prior some scenery that I really wanted to photograph and I got to the point just as the sun was starting to set. The sunset was really amazing. High, wispy clouds and just enough humidity in the air to give a reddish tint to the sky. It was one of those nights where the light changed very, very quickly and there was a fog bank rolling in, so I only got to a few areas, but I did manage to get some beautiful pictures.

The last place I visited before I completely lost my light was a naturally made seawall made of stones that have been tossed, turned and polished in the ocean. I bent down and touched several of the stones and each one of them was amazingly soft to the touch. As I picked them up, they were made mostly of granite and they were deceivingly heavy. There were stones of different shapes, sizes and hues. Most of the stones were very plain, but as I examined them closely, I noticed that they were all unique as if each one had a story to tell about where it came from and how it ended up deposited on this seawall for me to notice on that evening. They probably had been deposited there in storms, but now the seawall served to stand firm against storms and protect the shore and the the plants and wildlife that lived there.

I sat down on the seawall and watched the sunset. The sun was now behind the fog bank, but tiny tendrils of orange, yellow and pink extended up into a deep purplish blue sky. I am always amazed at the fact that I've seen thousands of sunsets in my forty years on this planet and like the stones, each one is unique. I often refer to this world as God's creation as if it's in the past tense, but in reality, God is constantly creating. There is a new sunset every night, new sunrise every morning, thunderstorms that cool a warm evening, snowstorms that blank the mud and dirt making it new, flowers in the spring, vegetables in the summer, foliage in the fall. God is ever changing His creation, yet He remains the same. He is always faithful, kind, patient, merciful, graceful and most importantly His love for me never changes.

As I looked up at the sky, I realized that my life is like a sunset. God is control of the colors, hues and clouds, but it is ever changing. It doesn't stay the same very long. It may be beautiful one minute and then dark the next, but He is the creator of my life and He is control. He, on the other hand, is like the stones that I was resting on. He is strong yet soft to the touch. He is unique in the lives of each of us, but his love for us is never changing. He is reliable and His will can't be broken.

As I sat on the rocks looking at the sunset, I realized that I need to do the same with my life. My foundation needs to be Jesus' unchanging love for me. Even though my life may change, His love for me will never change. I need to rest assured that no matter what He has in store for me, if I build my life upon the Rock which is Christ's love for me and His sacrifice for me, I do not need to fear because He will hold me up and support me and help me to stand firm against the storms of this world.

"He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.

On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him;" Psalm 62:6-8