Holding my sweet granddaughter in my arms, over a decade ago on the Atlantic coast, I remember watching her watch the waves.
Her eyes drank in the scenery of the coastline and peered into the horizon at the great expanse of water.
What was she thinking? Was she curious about the depth of the ocean? Or possibly what was beneath the surface of the waters?
Was she wanting to wade out into the shallows or explore the waves rolling in? Probably not in the least!
I expect her mind was focused on the next time someone would put a bottle of milk in her hands.
But I can tell you what I was thinking and what recall about the moment.
It captured for me the incredible awesomeness of our creator and I was drawn to a verse of scripture from the book of Psalms that I have always loved… “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.”
The very thought of men braving the winds and waves was thought provoking, to say the least.
The sheer power of the moving of the waters, the deafening noise as the salty breeze fills the air and the vastness of it all takes your very breath away.
While looking at the roaring waters and holding my little bundle of joy my mind wandered to the Titanic which in its day, was the world’s largest ship, weighing 46,328 tons, 882 1/2 ft. long with three anchors weighing more than ten tons each.
It employed a crew of 400, a hotel staff of 5l8 and could carry 2,433 passengers. The 159 furnaces burned 650 tons of coal a day.
The ship had a complete gymnasium, heated pool, squash court and the first miniature golf course — all below deck.
Its lavish appointments included opulent dining rooms with 24-hour service, orchestra on the promenade deck, palm courts and gilded Turkish baths. Several millionaires were on the passenger list.
But, on April 14, 1912, the “unthinkable” happened to the “unsinkable”. Near midnight, the great Titanic struck an iceberg, ripping a 300 ft hole through five of its 16 watertight compartments. It sank in 2 1/2 hours, killing 1,513 people.
During the tragedy, there was no difference between the classes on that ocean liner. But when the Titanic did sink, in newspapers all around the world, they printed two columns side by side and those were the only distinctions that mattered.
It said, “Those known to be saved” and “Those known to be lost.”
I’ve heard it said, “It would be foolish to go all through life totally unprepared for something you know is going to happen.”
The fact is that one day you’re going to stand before God. Your life is going to come to an end.
Your creator is going to say, “Did you know My Son, Jesus Christ?”
You see, you were made by God and for God.
God desperately wants to have a relationship with you. He loves you. He’s seen every day of your life and He still cares about you.
I heard about a little boy who had done something very naughty.
His mother punished him.
In the kitchen, there was a chalkboard on the wall where they wrote down phone messages and he was afraid his mother was still angry at him. When no one was around, he wrote on that chalkboard, “Dear mom, if you forgive me, please wipe this out.”
He went to his room, and about an hour later returned, and to his surprise and joy that chalkboard had been completely erased!
Jesus will not look at your life, your problems and your failures and rub them in, he wants rub them out!
Remember the words of the Psalmist? “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.”
Jesus said it this way, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Just as God cares for the sailors of the sea, God cares for you as well!

Tim Throckmorton is the national director of Family Resource Council’s Community Impact Teams.