Sunday by the Sea

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof."
~ Psalm 46:1-3

When I was glancing through the Psalms for a possible verse for today's post, I came across the ones above, and I just knew they would fit well with what I saw and learned yesterday. I spent my last full day in Texas visiting the island of Galveston with my cousin Virginia and my uncle Wes. I had such a delightful time with them! (The picture above is one I took of the Gulf of Mexico.)

Virginia knows so much about the history of the area, and she was telling me about the hurricanes that have hit Galveston. Hurricane Ike caused a lot of damage to the island when it came through, and the sea wall doesn't offer much of a barrier anymore should another hurricane hit directly.

While the island sees a lot of tourism, and I found it to be quite lovely, some buildings show obvious signs of hurricane damage. I couldn't imagine living in Galveston, knowing how close that beautiful, dangerous water would be to wiping everything away.

But no matter where I am, waters will "roar and be troubled," whether those waters are actual waters or the "waters" of different life issues. But God will always be a shelter, a refuge that will not be wiped away by those waters. The waters will not hurt Him--in fact, He is in control of them. So when they hit, may we cling to Him, trust in His steadfastness, and know that He can use those waters for our ultimate good.

To end this post, I'd like to share a video/photo slide-show I put together from my last full day in Texas. This video doesn't show all of the family that I spent time with this Thanksgiving break, but it gives you a small glimpse of my adventures. Enjoy!