This summer, we rented paddle boards as we headed north to Lake Michigan. We were looking for recreational activity but as often happens, a spiritual connection was also made. I love how God speaks to me as I immerse myself in creation.
The paddle quietly cuts through the big water, and with each stroke I am taken further from shore. Further from the trappings of the world, the noise of children and the scent of sunscreen and campfires. It’s just me and THEE gliding across the unusually glassy lake.
Beneath me I can see the occasional fish or the rock formations, but it is the ripples in the sand that soothe my soul.
The gentle undulating patterns are from the currents as the rhythmic water laps. At the shore line it crashes as it rolls and rolls. But out away from the shore, the gentle waves billow on silently rolling and lulling the board as it cuts its own swath through the lake.
The ripples that decorate the lake floor remind me of what the fingerprints of God must look like. They, like the postcards from heaven sunset I am paddling toward are the small vestiges of the Master artist.
His gentle smooth and wavy designs at the bottom of the lake are pristine, they are untouched. They are my private art exhibit. I lose myself in them as I paddle on. I ponder God’s fingerprints on the story of my life.
The Master’s hand is a genius. His artistry is not only evident in creation but in our lives. I think of the times he deftly plucked me from danger, the times he skillfully steered me in the right direction and the times he’s made the divine connections with those who’ve greatly impacted my trajectory.
I also think of the trials, frustrations and disappointments I’ve experienced and laid at the foot of the Cross, sometimes more than once. Who hasn’t prayed prayers that were not answered in the way we intended for them to be? Even in disappointments God’s fingerprints are evident in our lives. He continues to mold and shape us into the vessel he wants us to be. We are being sculpted, refined and defined by the Master’s Hand. The same hands that carved the Grand Canyon. The same hand that hangs the stars each night.
We need only to yield to his touch and to his hand to fully realize our potential and purpose in this life. If you are struggling with an area of life that seems burdensome or devastating, just remember you are not walking it alone. HE wastes nothing.
One thing amazing about his artistry is that it is true perfection. HE makes no mistakes.
POINT TO PONDER: What area of your life is a work in progress? What lessons have you learned from experiences that were horrific initially? ACT NOW: Share those experiences and offer hope to the hopeless. Be a beacon!
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