SAND . . .

We've had some real busy days, and I've not had much time to write here. I finally feel caught up with things a little better. I want to mention again, one of my favorite blogs, Holy Experience, that I love to read, that is such great encouragement to me, and was again these past days. Ann wrote about her visit to Lake Huron, and now is home, catching up with the laundry, and how sand is in and on EVERYTHING - yet she wants to keep it. She can tell it much better than me summarizing, so here is some of Ann's post, Thoughts from the Sea, Pt. 1

There is sand in everything…shoes and towels, bathing suits and books. We sat in sand, we slept in sand, we dug in sand…and we’ve carried it home with us.

And instead of shaking it out of everything, I think I want to keep it—all of it.

For all that sand reminds me of Him. And how He feels about me.

“How precious also are your thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand”
~Ps 139: 17-18

I scooped up a handful of sand as I sat on the lapping shore and I began.

One grain. Two grains. Three grains. Counting this seemingly infinite number of granules (And that was just in the mere palm of my hand. Forget the whole beach. Or the sum of all the beaches on this grand spinning orb).

And I lost track. Completely. All those grains were far beyond my simple comprehension.

But there was a crack of a dawning in my understanding of how He feels about me. How He loves me. How He thinks of me and has dreams for me and knows me and understands me and wants me.

And I don’t want to shake that away, wash it away, or sweep it away. I want those sand granules to cling to me -- to everything. I want to feel them grainy against my skin, stuck between my toes, sifted into everything I touch.

So I remember how staggeringly countless are His thoughts towards the sum of one and only me. Why? Why would He think so of me? Of any of us?

I can’t begin to fathom. I can only marvel and adore and worship.

And hold unto a few grains of sand so I never forget.

Lord, why do You love me so, why do You think of me so? I have never been loved like this. I want to dig into Your love, rest in Your love, sleep in Your love and carry Your love with me wherever I go. And make MY thoughts towards YOU as infinite as the sand on the seashore.

It's just that gentle reminder we all need when things seem so shattered, or our lives are so busy that yet, He does still think of us. I feel that guilt when I say I will pray for someone, and forget - HE does not forget us. We can't even hardly begin to count a handful of sand grains, and yet His thoughts are of us each individually is more than ALL the sand grains. It's hard to fathom. Thank you Ann, for writing this so well, and sharing this. I am sure if I was touched by it, many others will be, and please read her other writings. You will be blessed.