Faith, hope and love...

We just got back from a week at the beach.  I know, I know, poor us ;).  Greg had business there and since we haven't sold the camper yet, and are still making payments...we decided we might as well use it.  So the kids and I loaded up and headed south with Daddy to work.  We stayed in a state park in Santa Rosa Beach that is wonderful.  Its a preserve, so everything is untouched basically, except for the RV hookups and a few buildings.  The beach is amazing.  It is so neat to see what the beaches are really supposed to look like.  I mean, the beaches we are used to seeing are filled with highrises and people.  This beach had people, but no highrises.  Just pure beach, sand dunes and beautiful aqua water.  We had been talking about going, but couldn't get a reservation.  This park stays booked year round.  But lo and behold, a couple of weeks ago, something opened up, and to our surprise, it was on one of the small ponds there.  So Cutter was as happy as a lark.  He fished from morning to night!  We all had a great time.  Its relaxing.  I mean there is only so much housework you can do in a camper lol!  We swam, found seashells on the beach, had school outside by the pond, made friends with a squirrel and even caught an outside concert.  The whole time we were continually aware of God's love for us and how faithful He is and how unworthy we are.  Looking around you see so much beauty, even in the broken places...and this gives us hope. 

While we were gone, two tragedies occurred: the bombing at the Boston marathon, and then the Texas fertilizer plant explosion.  Both of these events were tragic, so sad and so hard to make sense of.  But, through all of it, He was there.  People stepping up to help others.  People showing love.  People donating time, money, talents, to give to those who are lost and hurting during this time.  Why do we wait until bad things happen to be good to each other?  Why don't we show His love every day?  I think about unbelievers who are seeking Him right now because of what's happened.  Would they have looked for Him if it hadn't?

All I know is that God knows best.  His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts.  I will never understand Him, but I know WHO HE IS.  God is love.  It is because He loves us that we can love others.  So when we came home and our t-shirts from Adoptionbug.com were in our mailbox, they couldn't have been a better reminder for us.  They say "Faith, Hope and Love" and have the Chinese characters for those words also.  And all three, faith, hope and love come from God, and God alone. 

 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13