waves and sand

We were at beach resort at Bintan Island with my husband's family a couple of weeks ago. It was a great FUN time for 10 of us including 2 children under one roof. We ate, played, bbq-ed, cooked, swam, watched tv together for 3 days 2 nights. We celebrated our nephew's 2nd birthday, and mum in law's belated birthday too! We bonded...we've been doing this for a few years now.

On the 2nd evening, my husband and i took our almost 7-year old niece for a ride in the buggy to the beach to play in the sunset. It was beautiful. Not many people were at the beach as it was almost dinner time. At first, my niece didn't want to go onto the sand or into the water, so i stayed with her just above the sand on the grass. But really, the sand and sea were simply irresistable.

After a while, we found ourselves with our feet in the soft sand, and soon we were letting the waves come up to where we were, and wash away the sand from around our feet. Each time the waves came, we sank a little into the sand. This was a childhood "game" which i still enjoy. ;D

We told her about the holes in the sand made by the crabs - countless little ones with the occasional large ones. We philosophised about the shaped of clouds. We ran away from the waves.

Then, my husband found a little toy rake, abandoned by its owner. My ever-energetic niece began to make shapes and letters in the sand, which were promptly flattened by the waves - wiped clean like on a magna-doodle board. I would have been frustrated by the waves destroying my calligraphic efforts, but my niece took them in her stride, making more shapes to be erased, almost as if she were competing with the sand how much she could draw before the waves relentlessly "attacked" her creative endeavours.

As i watched her, i was reminded of how our sins have been "erased" by the Love of God. The scriptures describe the love of God as relentless, tough, uncompromising and unconditional - never-failing no matter what we have done, or what we are doing. "nothing can separate us from His Love"! His love is amazing!

As we rode in the buggy the long way (we intentionally took the long route) back to the villa, my husband started asking our niece about church and worship - what she enjoyed about sunday school, what her favourite praise song was. She declared that every songs was her favourite. I don't know how it happened, but 3 of us started singing "Light of the world...Here i am to worship" even as the day turned to dusk, and light was diminishing before our very eyes. What an apt time of worship to end a beautiful day created by the Lord just for us...