What Do You See?

   Earlier this month, our family had the opportunity to vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC. Since our children had never seen the ocean, and none of us had ever been to the East Coast before, we thought this would be a time of firsts for all of us.

   Our road trip took us through the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. The majestic views were breath-taking. There were times I wanted to just peer out the window and take it all in but driving up hill through winding mountain passes took almost all of my attention. The gasps of my wife and children and the flashes of their cameras told me they were feeling the same way I was. We spent the night on the other side of the mountains and got up early the next morning to make our way to the South Carolina shore. That afternoon, we arrived at our condo, quickly unloaded our luggage, and set out to the beach. When we got out of the car, there was a sand dune covered with prairie grass that stood between us and the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. I quickly picked up our 19-month-old and began walking up the deck to the beach. I didn’t want to give anything away desiring that our children’s responses would be untouched by my input. ‘What will they do?’ I thought to myself.

    As we cleared the berm, the ocean, beach, and landscape all came in to focus. We saw the massive expanse of turquoise-colored water that appeared endless. We heard the waves crashing on the shore as the calls of birds flying overhead interrupted its roar. The sun scorched the sand and glistened as it reflected off the rolling water; and the sea breeze pushed inland bringing with it a cool relief from the heat.

    The children were speechless. The older ones stood for a moment with eyes and mouths open. Abby, who I had in my arms, was clinging to me. I was so focused on the others that I didn’t notice that she was scared of the ocean's enormity and the noise it was making. This didn’t look like any pool she had ever seen before. And when I let her down, her arms immediately wrapped around my leg, and only her mom could convince her to let go.  

    Later on, my oldest daughter commented to me, “How can people see all of this and reject the fact that God exist?” I thought for a moment and responded, “Do you know these waves have been hitting this shore since God created them? They were sweeping sand and shells and returning back to the deep long before we were ever here. And if God doesn’t return, they’ll continue to do this…every moment of every day of every year…until God says stop!”

   Creation cries out that there is a Creator. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20 NIV 

   Unfortunately, too many people try to suppress the truth and ignore what the world around them is saying… ‘We were made for and should give glory to Him.’

   The way we see the world (our Worldview) determines how we’ll respond to it. If I believe the world is mine to use for personal gain and self-gratification, I will use its resources and creatures to that end. But if I believe all of creation was made to point to a magnificent and loving Creator, I will see His fingerprint on every ocean wave, blooming flower, and mountain peak. I will marvel in the fact that our Creator had to have an overwhelming love for us to create such a magnificent world for His children to live in. And I will praise Him for allowing me the opportunity to enjoy it.

   What do you see?