Faith

Finding Faith on the Bay!

Finding and strengthening faith in the Lord can be found in the smallest details of everyday life or in the grand and magnificent surroundings the world has to offer. Sometimes, it could be two brothers finally catching up with each other while they spend time baiting up a trot line and preparing the boat for the next morning outing after a busy week. It could be the innocent smile and excitement of a child who looks forward to a crabbing trip with his father and uncle; and in turn, the older family members who enjoy passing down the passion to the next generation. Perhaps it is the gathering of close friends on a back deck somewhere, picking crabs, sharing stories, and laughing together. Those are the experiences that create memories that return when the winter months grow long, and connect us with family and friends through a shared desire for the summer season to return and to be able to experience the simple, yet wonderful joys of life. Sometimes, it may simply be experiencing the power and vastness of nature and the beauty that it can offer by just looking out toward the horizon. It could be the smell of the salty bay air filling your nostrils during the boat ride out in the early morning as the sun begins to rise, filling the morning sky with such magnificent colors. Whether small or grand; a fleeting memory or a day out on the water; it is through these experiences in life that we can know that there is something more.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20 NIV)

Every time we see the sunrise when heading out on the beautiful rivers of the Chesapeake Bay, it’s hard not to feel the presence of God’s glory in His creations.

“So God made the two larger lights, the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night; he also made the stars. He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth, to rule over the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God was pleased with what he saw. Evening passed and morning came — that was the fourth day.” (Genesis 1:16-19 GNB)

It is not just these powerful visuals that are the works of the Lord, but everything that is to be explored and discovered in nature. All the species of living creatures, put here for us to enjoy by a loving God.

“Then God said, ‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.’ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” (Genesis 1:20-23 NKJV)

Even if we take a look at just one of what seems like an infinite number of sea creatures, the blue crab, callinectes sapidus, we see such uniqueness and complexity in its every detail. It is considered both tenacious but yet a beautiful swimmer at the same time. Its’ life cycle is so complex that it still leads to a feeling of unpredictability in the quality of the approaching crabbing season. Donning some of the most brilliant blues and reds on its shell and claws, and of course baring the sweetest of meats that can be found to enjoy and nourish our bodies by simply steaming them up!

“How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.” (Psalm 104:24-25 NIV)

And when writing on faith, it is not my intent for this be misconstrued as a debate of God’s involvement with science or evolution, but as a means to understand that when you are overcome with a particular feeling that there is more to just randomness in life while experiencing nature and the great outdoors, appreciate it as the gift that it is, and allow it to grow your faith in our Lord who is the only one who understands the grand plan completely.

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7-10 ESV)

“He rules over the whole earth, from the deepest caves to the highest hills. He rules over the sea, which he made; the land also, which he himself formed.” (Psalms 95:4-5 GNB)