... that He should be mindful of me

"When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?" - Psalm 8:3-4

Last weekend Tom and I had the pleasure of visiting our son and daughter-in-law and two of our precious grandsons in Spring, Texas. It was lovely. We typically head back home after church and lunch on Sunday, but this time we decided to take a little side trip to Galveston for a mini vacation, just the two of us.

Galveston has always held a special place in my heart. Tom and I honeymooned there almost thirty-eight years ago at the lovely, old Galvez, which has since been updated and renamed the Grand Galvez. That's not where we lodged this time, but I always love driving along the Sea Wall past her.

The weather there was wonderful. We booked a little place right on the beach and had a third story room with a tiny balcony that had a view of the water... pure heaven for this girl!

I suppose one thing you should know about me is that I'm pretty much a Texas gal through and through. I love the diversity of this place: the piney woods, the hill country, the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend, and of course, my beloved gulf coast. There is nothing more restful to me than letting my eyes gaze far, uninterrupted to the horizon. I guess that's why I love the beach so much... views for miles.

Tom and I did all the usual things, walked on the beach collecting shells, fed the seagulls, sat in the sand and let the waves wash over us, and admired the evening surf by pier light. It was perfect in every way.

The last morning we were there I was sitting out on our balcony, coffee in hand, and I noticed someone walking along the beach. It was early morning, and the clouds and mist worked together to obstruct the clarity of what I was seeing. This individual was much too far away to make out any facial features, but I could definitely see that it was a person walking there.

For whatever reason this struck me. Sitting there from my third floor balcony and not terribly far from the water, I could not make out anything significant about this individual.

I couldn't, but God could.

He not only knew this person's identity, but also was intimately familiar with every aspect of this individual's life. It was a staggering thought. To me this person walking along appeared not much bigger than a speck, but to God this individual mattered; and not only mattered, but was valued, loved, and precious in His sight.

Mutiply that by the billions of individuals that live on this planet. Definitely staggering.

I averted my gaze and set it back on the water. I thought about how vast and varied the sea life was that existed in that world just below the surf. I thought about the different types of gulls we'd observed the day before and the shore birds flitting by to grab a morsel before the waves reclaimed it. I thought about the intricate detail of even the smallest shells we dug out of the sand.

God, the Creator, had His hand in it all; and not only did He create it all, but He sustains it all, and He cares about it all!

I couldn't help but think on this passage from Psalm 8. Questions, so many questions came to mind. How... Why?? What is man that He should be mindful of me?

Yet He is. He is mindful of each of us. No matter how many sheep He has, He always has the time and the desire to look after the one who needs tending... and we ALL need tending every moment of every day. He is intimately familiar with each one of us too. He knows what brings me joy and what brings joy to you. He also knows what breaks my heart and what breaks yours. He's right there with us in the midst of our every concern, our laughter, our tears.

How? I don't have any answer other than He is God, our all knowing, all powerful heavenly Father.

Why? Because I take Him at His Word that He loves me, that He so desired an eternal relationship with me that He was willing to sacrifice His only Son to make that happen. He did it for you too.

What is man that He should be mindful of him?

Blessed. That's what we are. Truly blessed beyond measure... and grateful, oh, how grateful to experience a love like that. It's almost inconceivable, almost unbelievable, yet true nonetheless.

So if you ever find yourself wondering if God is really there, if He hears your prayers, if He honestly cares about you and what's happening in your life... take a trip to the beach. Look around. Stand in awe. Let both the enormity and the intricacy of it all be staggering to you also...

and doubt no more.