splashes of grace

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Heb 1:1

One of my biggest blessings is that God has given me the gift of faith. It is just in me to believe... in Him... in Jesus... in His promises... without seeing. I don't need tangible proof to know that I am never alone, it has been planted in my heart, my soul. I am so thankful for this gift. I would not be "me" without it. That being said, I love to sit back in nature and take it all in- the beauty created by His hands alone- and thank God for this beautiful earth. And sometimes, I am lucky enough to hear a soft "you're welcome." It is the cool breeze on my shoulders... the warmth of the sunshine on my face... or maybe even a dolphin gracefully gliding by. There is something about a dolphin in the wild that makes my heart feel so full and wonderfully special- as if splashed by grace. It almost feels magic. While we were on vacation, I was standing on the balcony of the hotel when we spotted four dolphins playing in the surf. They were just riding the waves... like we had been the day before. I took pictures, but how can you capture that magic? I think you just need to stop and experience it. I had another chance today... we were at my Mom's house, chatting in the kitchen, when all of a sudden Cam yelled, "dolphin!" We raced outside to the dock, and were finally able to see it just playing and swimming and splashing in the canal. I ran to get my camera- and I did get a couple of pictures as it was gliding through the water, just feet from us. But my camera did not capture my heart... or the feelings... it just couldn't fit the fullness of my heart into the frame. I think next time I'll just skip the camera, and sit back, and just enjoy. Moments like this remind me to live. To just be thankful in the moment, and know that my heart will carry my memory... that moments like this are too precious and too few to be racing for the camera. I do not need reassurance to know that He is near... but when He whispers to me in a moment like this, I am abundantly thankful... and my faith is once again refreshed and new.