We’re staying in New Zealand…duh. But what you might not realize is just how GORGEOUS New Zealand is. I mean these pictures do NOT do it justice.
The color of the ocean is this blue that just doesn’t exist anywhere else. And the sand is so soft, you sink into it. And the mountains are so random that it would be impossible for an artist to recreate. And some of them are so steep, you know it’s impossible for anyone to ever make it up there. And you can see more stars than I even knew existed. And there’s these purple wildflowers all along the road that just make you stop and look.
So I stood on the beach where we’re staying, trying to take all of that in, and it was just too much. I was so overwhelmed with who God is.
Now, I’ve been fortunate enough to see some awesome stuff. I’ve seen Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon and the Swiss Alps, but this beach was different. Because I stood on that beach and I just KNEW that He made that beach for me.
You see, I was having a rough go of things before we made it to our ministry in Gisborne, New Zealand. Feeling uncertain and kinda awkward and like I didn’t belong. But then I arrived at that beach and BAM! God was just like, “Look at what I made for you, look at how much I love you.”
The kicker, though, is that yup, He made that beach for me, but He also made that beach for everyone!!! He can do that. He is personal and universal, all at the same time. THAT’S how big He is! And He wants everyone to experience the power and the beauty and the love that I experienced on that beach.
So when I go to Thailand in a few months and I see a girl slink away with some fat American tourist, or when I’m in Uganda and I have to hold a dying orphan in my arms, I’ll have to go back to my beach in New Zealand. And I’ll have to remember that my mission for this trip is to bring that beach- my beach, God’s beach- to everyone everywhere. Because when I do that, I don’t just paint a picture or put a wish in someone’s head, I give them His Kingdom. I show them His love.
