Every where I looked there were sand castles.
Some simple but a few very ornate.
taking hours and hours to have made them.
I thought of the folks who invested their time and creativity in building the sand castles.
Sand castles that would in only a few hours be swept away by the incoming tide.
Seemed like such a waste
but on second thought
maybe not a waste at all.
For in the moment the sand castles spoke of purpose and commitment.
They proudly proclaimed the hard work of one or more
patiently digging the sand
piling it carefully and smoothing it out
shaping the edges
symbols of beauty and art upon the sandy stretch of beach.
Yes, I have built my share of sand castles
and have always felt so sad when they’ve been crumbled.
But more often than not I make another one.
Some of life’s tasks can feel like building a sand castle.
You work and work
shape and mold
sometimes even involve others
only to see the soon demise of all your efforts.
The book goes out of print.
Families are torn apart
Marriages broken beyond repair
Churches split
Communities divided.
All sand castles?
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Psalms 127
All of us build our sand castles on the sands of time.
All of us dreams our little dreams of what we will do with our lives.
We dig our moats and carefully erect our walls of self protection.
We shape and mold our decisions and personal choices
into castles.
When we are young we oftentimes do this happily thinking we have lots and lots of time.
We sometimes forget that God is even there.
He seems so remote…so far away.
But then the tide sweeps in with a roar and all is suddenly
gone.
Some of us spend years trying to keep out the Father’s presence
from invading our lives.
And all too often it is the sweeping waves of His Spirit that finally show us
how blind we have been to His Power and Presence in our lives.
Let our lives be lived with a constant awareness of His Presence
and the knowledge that we cannot keep Him out.
God always has the last word.
Reblogged this on Christian Poets and Writers and commented:
A timely word, a crucial insight
Thank you, Mary, for reblogging it. My heart yearns for all to realize His relentless Love that keeps calling through the ordinary.