When I was a teenager, the beach was an integral part of my life. Our family lived in Bradenton, a little town southwest Florida, about 10 minutes from Anna Maria Island, a beautiful stretch of white sand and blue ocean right on the Gulf of Mexico. It seemed like my friends and I were constantly at the beach. We would suntan or swim or picnic and throw a frisbee or play volleyball. Sometimes we would just sit on the old swings and chat.
It was idyllic.
Going back
A few years ago I had the opportunity to return to that same beach where I had spent so many happy days. My friend Lori, who stays part of each winter on Anna Maria Island, invited me to visit. I hadn’t been there since my 20s. For some people—especially those who have lived somewhere all their lives–returning to a place of their youth wouldn’t be a big deal. But I’ve moved around a lot in my life. So for me, to be back where I graduated from high school was a little surreal. To drive past Palma Sola Bay, where I learned to waterski. To cross the same draw bridge to the island that was there when I lived there. To eat lunch at the same public beach where my sister and I used to spread our towels out, lather on baby oil, and soak in the rays.
Some things change, and others stay the same.
A lot has changed on Anna Maria, but a lot has stayed the same. The people are mostly new, though there are still a few original residents living here. The land is much more built up than when I was a kid, but many of the original buildings are still standing.
I know I have changed. I have lived a lot more life. I have married, and had kids. And I have learned a lot. Yet I’m the same, too. I have the same basic temperament, personality, intellect. The same eyes, nose mouth. The same beating heart. At my core, I am still the same person God made and loved even before I took my first breath.
And the island itself? Well each day—each moment, really–the sea looks a little different. Every morning the sky is painted with a fresh pattern of colors. The sand is resculpted, and strewn with a new crop of shells. But while its appearance changes, at its core the sea and shore drum a rhythm that is as steady as a beating heart, and as old as time itself. The surf crashing against the sand. The tide receding, and returning again. The sunrise, and the sunset.
God never changes.
In the years since I graduated high school, I have learned that God never changes. He may show Himself in different ways, but as Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” His faithfulness is as steady as the crashing surf. His love is as bright as the dawn. His goodness is as dependable as the turning of the tide.
“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind.” Numbers 23:19
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
“The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
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