Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Beach Thoughts

Living in California has given me a new appreciation for the outdoors,  the awesomeness of God, and the smallness of man. On Memorial Day we took an impromptu drive to Zuma Beach. Initially, it seemed as if the weather was not cooperating with us as it was overcast and chilly. Because of this, we left later than we anticipated.
Source

I live in the San Fernando Valley, so to get to the beach you have to drive through the mountains. They are a couple of roads that take you to the beach, but because I have a slight fear of heights I take the road that I feel most comfortable on - i.e. it has more than one lane and there are guard rails. Prior to moving to California, I don't think I ever drove on mountainous roads; I was a city girl and when I lived in the Bahamas the beach was a stone's throw away. I recently visited the Bahamas and I remember my father making a big deal about driving us to the highest point of Nassau. Well, it wasn't as high as I remembered and nothing compared to the hills and valleys in California.

As I drove on Kanan Road and saw the beautiful mountains all around me, my only thought was, "How can one not believe in God? There is no way man made all of this." I thought this as my legs quivered as I traversed the heights. Of course, if you go up you must go down, pressing my foot was gingerly on the brakes as we wound our way down toward the beach.

Of course, it being a holiday parking was initially an issue - but then I said a quick prayer and a parking spot opened up. Actually, two cars were leaving at the same time, which is rare.

As we got out of the car, we realized that we had indeed hit the jackpot. The wind was warm, the sun was out and the waves were beautiful. We situated our blankets and chairs and then I went walking along the shore - one of my favorite things to do at the beach. I saw families just sitting and enjoying each other; I saw children playing in the sand with so much glee; I saw a lady sitting by herself in a very contemplative mode playing with sand while tears ran down her face; I saw couples holding hands and making out. I saw groups of people working out and lone joggers jogging. I like squishing my feet into the seaweed and I wondered what the rocks that protruded out of the sea were covered with. I wondered about the people that lived on the beachfront, "Were they appreciative of nature right at their front door?" Further out, I saw surfers riding the waves. I walked to the end of the beach where there were wall and folks were rock climbing and then I turned around and made the long walk back.
Point Dume at Zuma Beach

The beach was so welcoming I didn't want to leave. I sat and listened to the waves and meditated on the goodness of God while wrestling with certain frustrations in my life right now. But the sound of the waves mellowed my frustration. I reluctantly left the beach after four hours, but if I could duplicate this day I would do it again.

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. Psalm 24:1 [NLT]

The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it. Psalm 89:11 [NLT]

This is what God the LORD says-- the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: Isaiah 42:5 [NLT]


Do you go to the beach? Do you enjoy the beach?


2 comments:

  1. Oh my yes! If I could live at the beach I would! I've always felt a special connection with the beach, I feel God there more than any place else. In fact I specifically moved to Florida to have access to the beach as often as I like. Enjoy beach life as often as you can!

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  2. Oh Nylse, you left such a lovely comment on my blog so I popped over here to see your "home". And this gorgeous post makes me miss my home! I moved from California to Texas this last year, as you read on my blog. I am an outdoor girl and CA is the perfect place for enjoying God's creation isn't it? here in TX, not so much, at least not so far! Ha! Need to do some exploring soon I think.

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