Do You Remember?

I've been dreaming of beach vacations and trips up into the mountains a lot lately. No doubt, because the Coronavirus stay-at-home restrictions tell me I can't go right now, I want to go more than ever.

I remember the first time I saw the Atlantic Ocean. My parents took my two brothers and me on a little vacation to Wildwood Crest, New Jersey. As we pulled into town and turned onto the correct road, we drove parallel to the ocean.

When we found our motel and turned into the parking lot, all of a sudden our view to the ocean opened up. It's hard to forget the vast immensity of it, even now, decades later.

I also have fond recollections of many family trips up into the mountains. As we'd leave the lowlands and drive up higher and higher into the hills, my parents would challenge me to imagine the giant's knuckles in the rolling mountains ahead of us. To this day, I can still see those knuckles when I head up to the top of the majestic mountains.

The sight of both the vast oceans and the massive mountains often diminishes my erroneously large sense of self, my ridiculous ideas of my own importance. I feel small, but so glad I belong to Someone so large and awesome.

Today I read in the Bible about the first time God showed His glory to the elders of God's people.

"The LORD our God has shown us his glory and his majesty, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them" (Deuteronomy 5:24).

They, too, felt small in the presence of One so powerful and overwhelming.

Yes God, I am a very tiny soul in Your vast universe. I am so thankful, though, that You died for me, You love me, You chose me, and You call me by my name, moment by moment. I can forget about myself when I examine Your greatness, but You will never forget about me.