I love the beach! White sands, blue skies, blue green waters…Ahhh. What a beautiful day! It can be summer, winter, spring or fall, I don’t care. Let me go and stick my toes in the coolness of the sands. It is a beautiful place to be.

Now, I have to admit. I am a little picky on my choice of beach. I haven’t been to the Pacific since I was like 18 months old; so, I can’t really say I remember it. However, I’ve been to the Atlantic in several places: Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (Daytona, St. Augustine and Ft. Lauderdale), and I have to say I am simply partial to the Gulf Shores of Northwest Florida. The sands are so white, almost like sugar, and in so many places, you can still find remote areas even in the heat of summer and the peak of tourist season.

I’m sure I’m partial to these beaches, as well, because I grew up in those areas. As a kid, we went to the beach all the time, and I have had more than my share of sunburns, sandy britches and PB&J sandwiches on a blanket (beach picnics), but nonetheless, as a child, I loved splashing in the ocean and get sun-kissed freckles on my nose! As I’ve grown older, I don’t care as much for swimming with the sharks (ha!) and the sand in my bathing suit, but I could sit out by the shore and watch the tide come in for hours. I love to walk barefoot along the shoreline looking for sand dollars and seashells, too. It’s a great pastime. Now that we have boys, it’s so fun to go and watch them swim, boogie board, jump, dive, look for shells and build sand castles. I love to see the beach and the ocean through their eyes of wonder.

What I love most about the beach is the settling within my spirit that occurs every time I sit and listen to the surf. The ebb and flow of the tide calls out to me as if a voice is speaking straight to my heart. This used to amaze me until, years ago, I read these Scriptures:

Psalm 29:3, “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters,” and Ezekiel 43:2, “And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.” 

Then, it all became incredibly clear. That is why my soul is drawn to these locations, whether it be to the ocean or to a waterfall: His voice can be heard by my heart in those places. 🙂 I am so thankful for those times…