Good Sand

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!" ~ Psalm 139:17-18 (NLT)

The beach is my place of serenity (peace and calm). I love hanging out, listening to the ocean waves break up on the beach; seeing the birds and sea life play in the surf or in the air; watching the humans surf the perfect wave and execute some gnarly (it’s a surfing term) grabs and turns. Yes, I even like the smell. I don’t know what it is, but all of these things combine to help melt away my stress. It calms me. I could just spend all day sitting on a beach and be content. Get me in the water, and it’s just an added bonus! Snorkeling, body surfing, and just lying in the water as the ocean swells and falls beneath me? Woohoo! Exploring sea caves and rock faces? Yup. I love that too!

The funny thing is, it doesn’t take much to get me excited about the beach. The moment my feet touch the sand, the good feelings begin. There’s just something about feeling the sand beneath my feet that begins to set my mind at ease. It’s pretty amazing that trillions and trillions of tiny rocks (that’s what sand is) can make me feel good.

I think it’s a very fitting metaphor that our Psalmist uses to describe God’s thoughts about us. God’s good thoughts about each one of us “outnumber the grains of sand.” Let that one sink in for a moment. How often does God think about each one of us? Trillions and trillions of times. In other words, we’re always on His mind.

If that wasn’t amazing enough, His thoughts toward us aren’t about being angry, upset, condemning, or hate-filled. Instead, we know His thoughts about each of us are good. (Jeremiah 29:11) So, God thinks about us all day long and is desiring, and planning, only for our good. That is amazing! That is dedication! That is love! We often obsess over things we love. Whether it’s an item, a person, or a concept, we tend to spend a lot of brain power thinking about it, or them. It’s safe to say that God is obsessed with you. Not in a creepy way. But in a pure, precious, good way. He thinks of you often, and sees you with great love. You and your success in life are always on His mind.