This past weekend Tim and I had the privilege of staying at some friends’ condo on the beach. I asked the owner, Bill, if they go over and stay at their place much. He told me a story about when he and his middle daughter, Hailey, went over early one morning to their condo to go for a walk on the beach. It was on a day after they had gone to church to hear the pastor talk about “Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean that it’s not there.” It was an overcast morning, and the sunrise was not visible to their eyes. As they were walking along the seashore, Hailey turned to her dad, and in reference to the sunrise said, “Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean that it’s not there.” Bill smiled. For one reason, he was having quality time with his daughter who lives out of state now, and secondly because he knew she was listening to the pastor’s sermon.
Both mornings that Tim and I were staying at the beach, I woke up to see the 6:55am sunrise. And both mornings the sky was overcast. I thought about the story Bill told me, grinned, and said to myself, “Just because I can’t see it, doesn’t mean that it’s not there.”
On the first morning, I was intently gazing in the direction of where I should observe the sunrise. At 6:55, the sun didn’t present itself, but God positioned a porpoise in the water to breach at just the right time and place. Precious! I sank in the tall adirondack chair and thanked God for His creation. I may not have been able to see the sunrise that morning, but I knew it was there, and so was the presence of God.
The second morning came and I again sat out on the porch, with scripture in hand, ready to view the sunrise. I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to be able to witness the sun actually rising over the Atlantic Ocean, but I knew it was there. God allowed me to witness other glorious occurrences: a school of bait fish offshore, two dolphins dancing in the water, a couple of pelicans resting on the water being succumb by the waves, and the crashing of the waves onto the seashore. I just breathed in the salt air and could sense a peace wash over me.
Thinking back at Hailey’s response to her daddy, not only did she hear and say they message from the pastor, but applied it. By Bill sharing his story with me, I was able to enjoy the sunrise both mornings even though I couldn’t see them.
What lesson can we learn from this? Well, there are many. For example:
- Make sure that we don’t only hear or read God’s word throughout the week, but actually share it and apply it.
- When you don’t see what you thought you were going to see, look for other blessings.
- And of course….“Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean that it’s not there.”
Blessings to you.