Wonderful Whale Breach

This blog was written by Hanna Clark and used with her permission

This afternoon school let out early because it was a test day. Ben and I had an hour to ourselves before the kids got out. We walked around the base a bit and went to the top of the guest house to enjoy the view. 

We were chatting about our adjustment to life here - the hard things, the good things, the unexpected in each category. 

Ben spotted some movement in the water a mile or two from shore. He had just said, "Look, honey!" when an enormous humpback whale breached. It's hard to describe how cool it was to witness. 

The thing is, we were the only ones that saw it. Business around the base was humming along as usual, people walking around working, etc.  We were so lucky to be there in that precise moment and have our eyes on the ocean. 

It got me thinking. This beautiful, majestic, wild thing had just happened, but we were the only ones who saw it and enjoyed it immensely! 

The ocean is almost larger than we can imagine. How many times has nature displayed some hidden glory without any human witness? 

How many pods of porpoises, how many corals, how many spinner dolphins, how much wonder there is!

And yet almost always, God is the only audience. Nature sings to Him and for Him, and even though it is hidden, and could appear as a waste from our human perspective, God takes joy in every little miracle. 

Here's the thing. He sees all the hidden wonders. All the things that are not witnessed by others.

He sees you humming while you do the dishes. He sees you wiping the table. He sees you balancing your checkbook. He sees you adjusting your attitude when it's a real effort. He sees you making loving choices over and over, and repenting when you don't.

He hears you laughing at a book you're reading. He sees and hears and witnesses all these hidden things, and He values them. 

He values the work of parenting. He values the difficulty of cultural, social, and physical adjustments. He values perseverance. He delights in lives surrendered to Him, even in the secret places.

So, I was encouraged. The same God who let me share in His joy by watching that whale breach takes joy in all the funny, sweet, hard and wonderful things in me. 

There are many who live here for years, even a lifetime, and never see a whale breach. And I just know that moment was meant for us. 

Courage, friends! He sees you.

© 2020 Hanna Clark USED WITH PERMISSION