My Teachable Moment Travel

God is Here!

As a child, going to the beach was always the most anticipated vacation for me.  At the start of every summer, I looked forward to packing my swimsuit and beach toys in preparation for our annual trip to the beach.  During the school year, I would daydream of building sandcastles and burying my cousins in the sand.  I always looked forward to being with my family at the beach.  The beach was a place where I knew I would have fun. The beach was a place where I could leave the world behind.  The beach had become, even as a child, my happy place!

But as I grew up and became an adult, I found myself taking fewer trips to the beach.  Summer after summer passed without me packing up the car and heading to the beach.  Work. School. Church. Business.  These are all barriers that put a hold on my vacation plans to my happy place called “the beach”.  As I matured in my relationship with God, I realized I must be intentional about taking a break and going on vacation again.  I had to come to the understanding that just because I grew up to be an adult, didn’t mean I had to give up taking time out and going to the beach.  Being intentional about taking a break “from it all”, would produce benefits that would go well beyond the summer.

When I decided to go back to the beach on a regular basis, I began to notice things that I had never really noticed as a child.  I noticed the clouds and how big and fluffy they looked.  I noticed how the waves crashed against the sand so violently, yet with limits.  I gazed up at the sun, the source of heat and light.  There was a teachable moment I had embraced upon my return to my happy place.

What did I learn about the greatness of God when I travelled back to the beach?  How can I relate His creation to His character?

• The clouds – Psalm 36:5 (NKJV) “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”
  • GOD IS FAITHFUL:  When I look at the clouds, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness.  He is faithful no matter what it looks like in my life.  The clouds shade us from the heat of the sun.  The clouds bring rain when necessary.  God’s faithfulness will meet you where you are.  I can face any situation knowing that God is faithful
• The sun – Ecclesiastes 1:5 (NKJV) (The Voice) “The sun rises and the sun sets, laboring to come up quickly to its place again and again.”
  • GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY:  Whether I’m watching the sunrise in the morning or watching it set in the evening, I can trust that the next day the same thing will happen.  Just like we can trust the sun to rise and set at its appointed times, we can trust God to do likewise about everything He promised.  God is trustworthy and will keep every promise He has made to His children.  We can trust Him and His Word.
• The waves – Psalm 89:9 (AMPC) “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves arise, You still them.”
  • GOD IS SOVEREIGN:  It always amazes me when I look at the waves and how they only go to a certain point and then recede back.  The waves come up to the sandy beach but they are limited as to how far they can go.  The waves remind me that God is in control.  God is Sovereign, which means He possesses supreme or ultimate power.  God is the Sovereign over the earth and over my life.  God controls the waves’ access to beachgoers and He controls the access of trials and tribulations in my life.  The waves are examples of His Sovereignty.

Now when I go to the beach, I think of the clouds, sun, and waves in a new and different light.  God’s creation speaks about Him.  So when I sit and relax at the beach, I say to myself… “God is here!”

Shawn Outlaw

Shawn is a Woman of God, with a Word from God for the People of God. Shawn has a passion for seeing God’s people grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him. Because of this passion, God has opened many doors for her to speak at revivals, seminars, prayer breakfasts, workshops, etc… Shawn also has a desire to see all God’s people worship Him in spirit and in truth. She has led and sang on Praise Worship Teams within the Body of Christ. Her life verse is Palms 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times and his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Currently, Shawn is a faithful member of Seeds of Greatness Bible Church. Shawn is active in various ministries within the church. She serves on the ministerial team, dances on the Word-in-Motion dance team and teaches the children in the Seedlings Youth Ministry. Also, Shawn is the founder and servant-leader of the W.I.S.D.O.M. ministries, a weekly women’s conference call geared to study the women of the Bible and gain the wisdom from their lives.

Shawn, along with her W.I.S.D.O.M. Core team, has published a book entitled, WISDOM SPEAKS: The Beginning of Wisdom. This book is the first of many books to come.