Finding God in Hawaii

This year I am celebrating Christmas in Hawaii, wrapping up a 50th wedding anniversary celebration for my in-loves. It's been incredible. Words cannot describe the things I've seen, pictures are inadequate. I am not even exaggerating when I say that sitting here I am brought to tears as I try to run through the past 7 days and grasp the immensity of my Creator-God.

The crash of thunder that His ocean makes as it hits the black lava rocks He's shaped.

The way the palm leaf looks against a vibrant, blue sky.

The sound a song-bird makes as it sings His praises for us to hear, even if we didn't hear it, the song-bird sings anyway.

The wonder of a child as they account their favorite moments of each day, the way they see His world, brings delight to the ones listening.

Seeing God's creativity below the surface of His immense ocean. He spared nothing, the shapes, the colors, the movement, truly amazing.

My favorite thing about finding God in Hawaii are His sunsets, every night, He paints a sky that takes my breath away, each one is different.

Each one is unique.

Sometimes He uses clouds to reflect the sun.

Last night He actually included a rainbow against the red cliff that jutts out into His big, blue ocean. He allowed me to take that all in and I am speechless.

I find that seeing God in Hawaii makes me wonder more and more about heaven and what He has prepared for us there.

I see your fingerprints
*Your* breathe of life
Is the evidence
And I see
Your beauty
Your majesty
Surrounding me

And I can’t deny
*You're* way too evident
I can’t ignore your
Presence in this place
Your grace is overwhelming
And I cannot hide all this love inside,
I can’t deny, I can’t deny

I feel Your mercy
Your faithfulness
Over flowing
And I know
Your peace that passes
All of my
Understanding oooh

And I can’t deny
Your way too evident
I can’t ignore your
Presence in this place
Your grace is overwhelming
And I cannot hide all this love inside,
I can’t deny

Your everywhere that I could ever be
I can’t deny
Your even in the depths of my soul
33 miles--I can't deny

He is in the depths of my soul and as I remain overwhelmed at His greatness, His artistry, His creativity and His love that He has poured into all He has created. There is nothing more to add to what He has done, I just get to spend a lifetime discovering all I can about Him and who He is.

I am grateful for that journey and the ways He continues to color my world and reveal Himself to me.

Romans 1:19

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

Silent Night.

Silent Night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. When I hear this song, I feel as if there was one Christmas Carol that described my life, this wouldn't make the top 10.

Silent night, hahahahahaha....cannot remember one.

Holy night, I've had lots, I am so grateful that God doesn't need silence to make it holy.

All is calm, if calm means, no one is crying, vomiting, whining, screaming or arguing, well yeah, I can't relate to that calm, because oddly we have enough people to cycle through the previous list often, we've perfected the tag team effect even. If calm means, a realization that in the chaos, there is a plan and that God will direct my path. That He is using the life I live to reveal Himself more and more to me. Then YES, I can relate to calm.

All is bright. Always, I'm surrounded by a kaleidescope of colors and they are beautiful and unique and they teach me so many lessons, that I obviously would never learn without them.

But my favorite line in the song is in the 3rd verse

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

"With the dawn of redeeming grace"

I can't imagine looking into the face of a beautiful, infant baby boy and realizing the cost of redeeming grace. I don't think Mary had that knowledge, but God did. It was His plan. It's a beautiful plan, but one I cannot explain or fully understand. But I don't think that was ever the point. It was meant to be a mystery, it was meant to defy any comprehension I may have about love. It was meant to be a gift that I could never repay and one that I should never try to. His redeeming grace is a beautiful thread that is evident in the whole written Word of God. It is also evident in His beautiful creation, including those people, especially in those people that He loves so much and we live with. ;-) If we are able to observe and see what He is up to as we navigate life with those around us, it can be an awe-inspiring, holy moment as God reveals a bit about His heart through the uniqueness He's placed in each one of us. He is so awesome that way.

So tonight, although I can't hear a pin drop...

 I am blessed with the knowledge that redeeming grace dawned in a plan that was set in motion at the creation of the world.

I can rest in the midst of the storm, because God doesn't need silence to show me something holy.

I can sleep in heavenly peace, because what He started He will finish!

A baby, a Savior, a King! What a beautiful plan for redemption. A love story like none other!

Do you hear what I hear?

I love Christmas Carols, and frankly December is not long enough to listen to the great songs of the season. My dad and I have a contest every year and usually in August or September, if we are running especially late, we call when we have listened to our first Carol. This year, we won. Victoria called and let Grandpa know we were claiming the win, as we were listening to the first Carol.

Recently I was listening to the song, "Do you hear what I hear?" It's a classic. The jest of the song is that each character introduced shares with someone else what they hear. Then they describe in greater detail what they are actually hearing. It's not only a star, but it's a star that is shining in the night with a tail as big as a kite. It's a beautiful song. The theology is a bit weak, but that's another post.

The reason I was thinking of this song, is I was just reflecting on how each of our experiences on this earth is so individual and unique. Just the other day, Will came to me with eyes wide with excitement, lots of hand motions and a very excited voice and shared that his brother was out of the designated area. His telling was so entertaining that we were smiling. I could tell, he was disappointed and felt that we truly didn't understand the severity of the situation. So he launched into the same story only adding a few more details, "Mom, he is not HERE, he is out there, over by the big van, MOM, the BIG VAN!" In his mind he could not understand my inactivity. He had expended so much energy to share this vital piece of information and it required action PRONTO! That is one of the great things about being 4. If something is important to you, it is nearly an involuntary response to share it. Sometimes, actually most times, LOUDLY. Will and Isaiah remind me of this often. I wonder when we lose that zeal, that passion to tell someone something so important.

Christmas is a beautiful time to ask someone, "Do you hear what I hear?" How great to share the experiences we are going through or just the reason we are able to face the life that we find before us. So this is what I am "hearing" tonight. A child, a child...A CHILD, with wide eyes and expressive motions and excitement in my voice.

And that child, came for one purpose. He came for you...for YOU!! He came so that you might have life and that you might have it abundantly. ABUNDANTLY!!

So that is what I hear, and I so want you to know that too!! Do you hear what I hear??