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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: SPARKLE (08/19/21)
The water was crystal clear, a turquoise blue, as the wind caught the top of the gentle waves, the sea sparkled in the sunlight. The sun was climbing high in the sky, accompanied by the heat of the day, and I stood in awe of the beauty of my surroundings. I was so thankful to be back in my favourite place, enjoying the atmosphere, soaking in the sights, sounds and smells. It was all so familiar to me. I knew our time out here was short, and I wanted to capture every moment, something to remember in the dark winter days we were facing when we arrived back home.

We have been visiting Florida for many years, and I never grow tired of the vibrancy of colour displayed through every season.

Here in the UK we do have beautiful colours in autumn, spring and summer. But
winter for me seems to dull the colours to greys and browns and days are short of light. I wait patiently for the first signs of spring flowers, and longer hours of sunlight again.

We spent most of the day on the beach, watching the world go by, swimming and sunbathing, my husband walking the beach with fishing rod in hand scanning the shallows for a sight of fish. We were treated to a dolphin display, and a manatee swam by. I captured all these sights on camera to reflect on in the coming days.

Early evening, after cooling off at our holiday villa we returned to the beach to watch the sun go down.

God was really showing off tonight! He created the most marvellous sunset I have ever seen. People gather on the beach every evening to watch the sun going down, and tonight God had excelled Himself. What a show He was putting on for us.

The beauty of His Creation shone out, this time the sea was sparkling red and purple as the last rays of sunlight caught the tips of the gentle waves. Watching the fiery red ball of sun disappearing, God continued His light show, and I stood in awe at the effect of the colours as they danced on the surface of the water.

The Holy Spirit dropped a thought into my mind.
I believe the Lord does this just for you and me, creating these beautiful scenes to capture our attention and show off His Glory, because of His great love for us and His desire for us to know Him.

I wonder, have you ever stopped and wondered about the world we live in?

There was a time when I never gave it a thought, but once I came to know Him, I saw the world through different eyes. I saw beauty and majesty in Creation and now I rejoice at every sunset He displays.

I watched the sun disappearing below the horizon. I had a lump in my throat, I felt so emotional with the reality of the love of my Father, as He displayed His beauty to me. I felt His smile, it was as if He was standing next to me in the coolness of the sand, just Him and me, watching His Wonderful Creation. I whispered a thank you to Him for allowing me to see a glimpse of His Glory and as I did so I believe He had a sparkle in His eye.


When you can, take a moment to step out of your busyness, and look and ponder on all the beauty that surrounds us in this world. It’s all for us, created for our pleasure, to point us to our Creator, so we can experience His love and marvel at His beauty.
Our Heavenly Father loves to show off, He wants to catch our attention, so don’t let’s miss His moments. They are priceless.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
The skies proclaim the work of His hands
Day after day they pour forth speech;
Night after night they display knowledge

Psalm 19:1 (NIV)
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This article has been read 408 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Laura Manley
08/28/21
You share the same wonder of the beach as I do. I love being at the beach. I find God so revealing in many ways. I think you used the word of the week to your advantage in your descriptive piece. I did find that there were some places where I felt that punctuation was necessary, but other than that, I could find nothing that I didn't enjoy about this piece. Blessings!
C D Swanson 
08/28/21
Amen!
This was beautiful, thank you.

Blessings~
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
08/31/21
This is a lovely descriptive piece. I can easily picture the colors, sounds, and even smells. I also can feel the emotions of joy and a bit of sadness and can relate. I'm not a big fan of switching voices from first person (I) to second (you). It can work at times, but for me it feels like the author is pulling away just when I felt so close. You inspired me with your words. I particularly can relate to God showing off. I often just stand outside and whisper wow!
Art Fahy 
09/01/21
Very descriptive work. I could feel the warm sand on my feet and the beauty of those Florida sunsets.
Thank you
Amy Swift
09/01/21
Excellent writing. I enjoyed especially as you mirror my feelings.