Rocks and Worship

Last week my family and I (along with our amazing friends Jeff and Anne Miserocchi) ventured up to Maine for a couple days of adventure and R&R. Jared had a conference there last year, but other than the drive, he didn't have time to explore or see the scenery. The girls and I had never been, so it was really a whole new experience for all of us.

Y'all! Can I just say we were planning our next trip before we ever left? It was magical. Way too brief, but other than that, it was pretty much perfect.

Throughout our time there, I found myself easily entering into worship. I mean, how hard is it to be reminded of God and His goodness and power when you're looking at things like this for 2 days in a row? But what's funny is that it wasn't the obvious stuff that had the biggest impact on me. I'm certain that no one would be unaffected by the gorgeousness of a sunset over the Atlantic Ocean (I mean, I didn't even know that was possible. East coast. . . Setting sun. . . Really?) Yay for the funky shape of the Maine coastline. :-D What a special treat! And I'm guessing most everyone who visits there appreciates the sound of the crashing waves against the rocks, the beauty of the lush flowers everywhere, the sparkling horizon when the sky is clear and the sun is blazing down on the water, etc., etc., etc. Maine is beautiful by just about anyone's standards. Easy to love for sure.

But do you know what stands out the most in my mind? The rocks. I know, right?!? I'm weird. I admit it. But I couldn't get over the crazy array of colors in the rocks that washed up on shore there. I could not get enough. I mean, LOOK at these things!

Now I'm quite certain that fewer than 1% of the people who visit would list the rocks as their favorite part of the Maine experience, but that's precisely why I was so affected. I kept thinking about all the steps along the way that had to be put in place to get me to the point of walking along the rocky shore of the Atlantic Ocean taking pictures of the vibrantly hued stoney art gallery. The list is forever long. And it stunned me. I mean, here is my God who knows me and loves me so well that He would go to all this "trouble" to give me this experience. And it wasn't just the normal version of the experience--the same one that most people would have in this place. It was so personal and so special and so perfect for me. I felt like a 5 year old whose Dad had just given her a huge surprise gift. And I imagined God being pleased with how much I loved it. I hope He was. I am choosing to take that whole vacation personally. In a good way. Like God planned it specifically for me many, many years ago and knew how much I would love it when it finally arrived. And I'm wondering how many times I've missed other special gifts like that. I think God loves us much more personally than we realize most of the time. But I'm on the lookout from now on, and I'm trying really hard to pay attention. :-D