Down By the Bay

Two of my closest friends Andy and Kelsey invited me to picnic out on the beach this evening.  We went to one of their favorite beaches out on the west end of the island, and Andy made jalapeno poppers, steak, potatoes, and corn on his propane grill.  Then we headed over to the bayside off Stewart and 8 Mile Road to watch the sunset from a jetty.  The water was blue, the blanket flowers surrounded the coastline, and the even the cacti flowers had bloomed!

We were pretty amused watching the small shore birds diving the in the water to catch minnows for dinner.  There were so many of them, all hitting the water and swooping back into the air, one after the other, in just a matter of seconds apart.  I can't seem to find the name of these birds online, so I'll have to grab a bird watching guide next time I'm out at Galveston Island State Park.  I did take a short video of them below.  

This evening reminded me of Matthew 6:25-34, when Jesus tells the people not to worry about their lives, their bodies, what they will wear, and what they will eat.  He tells them that God takes care of the birds providing them their food for the day, and that He clothes the fields with beautiful flowers.   If God cares and provides for the birds and the flowers, then how much more will He care and provide for His people?  He ends by saying, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  

You know, that's one of my favorite passages in scripture, but it's also one that I seem to struggle to live by the most.  Teaching is such a time-consuming and energy-demanding career, and I remember how much I struggled with stress trying to juggle lesson planning, teaching, and behavior management, not to mention maintaing a healthy balance between work life and personal life.  There were mornings I didn't know if I could get out of bed, and there were afternoons that the bell just couldn't ring soon enough.  By the end of the last year I taught, I was so exhausted and burnt out, and to be honest, I didn't know if I'd ever return to the classroom.  At moments I catch myself already worrying if I'll be in those same shoes again.  And if I linger on those thoughts, I know that I will.  It's like that saying: what I think, I become.  I don't want to be the same person I was at the end of last year at the of this coming year.  I don't have to be that person.

I pray that God would remind me of this passage when I feel overwhelmed.  Stressed.  Angry.  I pray that He will remind me of the many blessings He has given me in my life, of the joy and the hope He gives to those who seek and believe in Him, and of His power to heal, to refresh, to make new again.  I pray He brings me back to His creation to see the birds and flowers, a place where I can be still and know that He is God.