Boom!

A couple of days ago, my wife asked me to file some papers in our safe. As I was filing the paperwork, I accidentally dropped a folder that contained some of my old personal documents. My High School Diploma and my birth certificate fell out on the floor, along with a certificate showing that I had completed a membership class in 1971 at the Fallbrook Presbyterian Church.

Looking over that certificate brought back a lot of memories, some good, some not so good. I was only 16 at the time and my parents were getting ready to move to San Francisco, leaving me behind to finish High School on my own. I’m ashamed to admit it, but after my parents left, I stopped attending church. I was a Christian and I had faith, but my view of God at that time was that he was this master being, way up in the sky, watching over us to make sure we didn’t do wrong. (Kind of like my High School Vice Principal.) I believed in God at that young age, but I didn’t feel personally connected to Him because my perception was that he was so far away and basically unapproachable.

As a mature adult (okay, more like an old man now), my perception of God is very different. I’ll give you a few reasons why. The morning after finding that certificate on the floor, I was sitting by our sliding glass door that opens to the beach, silently praying. I was deep into thought, giving thanks and also asking for forgiveness for a specific mistake I had made, when I noticed one of those rare moments when the ocean goes completely silent, just for a second or two. The silence was followed by a huge “boom” from multiple waves crashing violently at the same time, so loud that it startled me. But what happened next gave me outright goose bumps. Maybe it was just a simple breeze, or maybe it was just wind created by the perfect timing of crashing waves. But whatever it was, it washed over me and enveloped me like a warm blanket and I absolutely knew at that moment, that God was right there with me. Oh, you can call me crazy, or I’m sure you can explain it in a hundred different scientific waves, but I’ve never had a feeling like that before… and I loved it!

Later that evening my wife and I attended a party at a friend’s house in Laguna Beach. Their home is absolutely stunning. It sits way up on top of Bluebird Canyon with a panoramic view of the ocean and Catalina Island. We had a wonderful dinner, and then went for a swim in the pool. At one point, I walked over to the far end of the pool by myself and stared out at the majestic view of a perfect sunset. Evening was falling and I was a bit cold from swimming in the pool, but as I stood there, I pictured God, not way up in heaven, but standing right there next to me… and it happened again. A warm blanket of God’s breath wrapped around me… and I loved it because I realized I was feeling His love. All I can say is, “Sometimes life goes Boom… and perceptions are shattered!”

Peace on the outside comes from knowing God on the inside.  

                              ~ Anonymous