Stormy day at the beach

You know how you are usually wishing that you had remembered your camera when you see something breath-taking? Well that's me almost all the time. This time included. A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to hang out at the beach with a few girlfriends. Some of them decided to stay in their jammies all day watching chick-flicks. Tracy and I decided to head to the beach. It had rained the day before and there was a 60% chance of rain for Friday. But off we went. We had walked a couple of hundred feet when it started raining. We stopped, and decided to go on and figured the rain would pass over us. I don't know if Tracy has ever clocked it, but I am guessing we walked well over a mile to where the channel comes into the barrier island. We made the trek with sand blowing over the beach like you would expect to see in Lawrence of Arabia or a modern-day war movie.
But on we walked. When we reached the edge of the beach where it runs into the channel, there was a small crowd of folks gathered on the shore to watch the dolphins playing. It was so much fun, it was like you could almost touch them they were so close. After the dolphins swam out into the deep, we turned to head back.

As we turned what we saw actually took our breath. It was the biggest, darkest, closest cloud I have ever seen. Not only that, it was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen at the beach. Far beyond the most beautiful sunrise or sunset. It almost looked like the picture above. There were no light clouds at the top of the sky. It was layers of deep blues in varied hues, mingled with smokey white to foggy gray clouds hanging in streaks over the blue. The beach rippled in motion with what seemed to be three different beaches amid the waves. It was almost to much to take in. As we continued to walk into the storm, we could see the faint white mast of a shrimp boat out in the distance. Wow.

As I looked at Tracy I had to laugh. She looked like someone trying to walk into a wind tunnel. As the rain begin to blow in our faces it felt like small pins stinging our skin. After we had walked a pretty good distance, I told Tracy that I had just had to stop. I wanted to cry because it was so beautiful. I had to stop and praise the Lord for the beauty that we were witnessing in the midst of the storm.

It seemed like it took us a good forty-five minutes, longer really, to make it back to the board walk where we had left our shoes.

It must have been that kind of storm on the sea when the disciples saw Jesus walking to them on the water. No wonder He said "peace be still". I know many of you have had just that too... peace in the storm. Or maybe you are in that storm right now. Stop where you are, lift your hands and praise Him... for He alone is worthy!

Even though I didn't have my camera, I stil have the picture in my mind. I hope it stays there for years to come as a visual reminder of the beauty that comes with the storms in our lives. It's my prayer for you that you have seen beauty in the storm.