Enjoying God's Creativity

We just returned from a week of vacation in North Myrtle Beach, SC. We had the opportunity to stay in a nice place right on the beach at no charge (my favorite part). So we took off on Sunday and headed over on what should have been a 6 hour journey. But with a stop for lunch and then a longer one for dinner, where we got to visit with family, the trip took longer. Then there was the issue of direction. The last trip I made, I used Google Maps (my personal favorite), and for whatever reason, that set of directions took me on about 10 miles of single-lane, dirt, forest service road. So I tried Microsoft's map and direction service this time. We followed the directions, but when we saw the "Welcome to North Carolina" sign, I quickly lost confidence in them and pulled out the GPS on the laptop. From there we made it to the resort about 10 PM.

We spent the week making some great memories with the kids. No Wifi/Internet, just a few phone calls, no projects. It was just beach time, movies, special snacks, walks, taking the stairs intead of the elevator, collecting seashells...fun! The very first morning the kids were up at the crack of dawn (even though we'd gotten in so late the night before). Leslie was with them on the beach by 8 (they let me rest since I'd driven the day before). It was cool, but not too cool to get some pink on our shoulders and cheeks and have some time in the ocean. One of the outdoor pools was heated as were the indoor pools. There were two lazy river pools which we enjoyed (one more than the other because it got more sun and was therefore warmer). The kids were also elated to have their own bedroom with their own TV. They loved the tub with bubbles (a jetted tub). They enjoyed the eating out, the special treats (that mom normally never buys), the desserts at meals. All things we would consider luxuries, they thoroughly enjoyed.

But these simple luxuries paled in comparison in bringing out joy in our lives with the creativity we saw in God's handiwork. The first thing is the ocean itself. Here's this monstrous beach, looking calm and serene, but packing a power that seems unrivaled. Step into it and see. The ocean brings the strongest man to his knees. If not immediately, it will eventually. And God gave us a way to enjoy this power in quite a controlled manner: the beach. Here land meet sea. The earth gives sand to the ocean and the ocean gives seashells to the earth (and her creatures). Our little creatures loved collecting seashells. And I'm not talking the pretty, ornate, whole seashells. Most of what they found were simply pieces. Some of them were just ugly oyster shells. And yet with each finding was a shout of exclamation. They were amazed. This in turn brought me to amazement. God really is an artist, and in my learning to appreciate His work in creation, I can better appreciate the reflection of His creativity in the art of His creatures.

The kids also loved the various animals we encountered. From the seagulls on the beach, which were promptly chased by McGrooter anytime they came near, to the turtles we watched swim in the water in a nearby lagoon while eating dinner, to the large coi that lumbered by in the water (2-3 feet long). God certainly was creative not only in how he made the animals (their appearance) but in how they live and move and breathe. The kids' wonder prompted my wonder (which often needs a little prompting) so that I could appreciate these creatures in ways I haven't since I was their size.

But for me, my favorite part of God's creativity is in the evening when the sun sets. There's something about the lighting, the colors, the warmth left over from the sun's efforts throughout the day, and breeze that softens that warmth to that perfect sensation that only occurs in the evening. I've always loved the evenings at the beach. And on this trip we were treated to a clear night of moonlight on the water as it rose in the sky. The intensity of that light always surprises me.

So we got creative too. That's one of the neat attributes of God that He shares with us (a communicable attribute). We're creative because He is, and our creativity reflects His even if we don't acknowledge Him. So we used our buckets and shovels and dug in the sand and ended up with somewhat of a castle. We had to explain to the Munchkin the first time we turned the bucket of neatly packed sand over to create the tower that her response shouldn't be one of kicking it over. It was almost instantaneous and was completely unstoppable when it happened. But she understood after that and managed not to do it again, as tempting as it was. We ended up with a few towers and a moat, which we tried pointlessly to keep filled with water. But we had a blast, both as adults who felt once again like kids and as parents who watch their kids with a range of emotion too great to capture with words.

You can see all of our pictures here:


And if you want to see some more wonderful creativity that creates a fine line war within (between that of worship of God and lust of metal), click here.