My wife and I were blessed to be able to visit our daughter this past Christmas in beautiful Puerto Rico. I must say it’s a beautiful and interesting place. – a U.S. Territory, but not really the U.S., with the flavor of a 3rd world country sprinkled throughout. However, the island is beautiful. Many miles of beautiful coast line, an awesome rainforest and mountains, and, the iguana population seems to be flourishing. I believe we especially enjoyed the mostly unpopulated beaches. The awesome waves rolling in and crashing onto the sand. Palm trees in various sizes and shapes, and a comfortable sea breeze always present.
Since I was not able to take an easel on this trip, I shot a few photos for reference for future works. One of the photos was my wife, Donna walking on one of the empty beaches, with the 4 foot waves rolling in an crashing on the sand. We were reminded again of God’s creative power, and of God’s conversation with Job, who had just gone through some extremely rough, dark days. Job was struggling to understand why he had lost his 10 children, all his livestock, other property and even his wife had become a burden to him. Job had done everything right, and yet bad things were happening to him. The question has been around for a long time. “Why to bad things happen to good people”. How God responds is interesting. He simply ask job several questions, basically asking “Job, where were you when I created all this? I love this section in Job 38 where God continues questioning job. These verses were illustrated on a beach one sunny afternoon in Puerto Rico:
“Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb; When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band, And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors, And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop’?”
Job 38″11
One of the lessons God is pointing out to Job, and all of us, is that we are not in control. There is an awesome, loving God who is in control. His desire for us, and this is the message of the Bible, is to TRUST HIM. Hebrews 11:6 sums it up:
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6
I would love to spend some time in Puerto Rico painting… perhaps another day.
