Goodnight, Sun
Aw! A most magnificent sunset in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Staci and Larry, my daughter and husband, recommended eating at the Bistro Blue restaurant where the food is delicious AND “if you get there in time (6:30-ish) you’ll be amazed at the most breathtaking view of sunset.” Their advice didn’t disappoint. A sight to behold! Awe! The splendors of God’s creation.
Everywhere we look within these 2,500 acres of Paradise-on-earth, is God’s majesty. Green foliage covers this land, and we are getting to bask in it all. It is a place where we can recapture in our hearts that breathtaking feeling of God’s grandeur and be reminded again of His majesty. This appreciation makes us heavenly minded as we acknowledge the ONE Who made the heavens and the earth.
Watching for that sunset reminded us of God’s power as He spoke the universe into existence. I say to Him: “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor.” (1 Chronicles 29:11)
Sunset. Sunset years. As Carl and I find our way around this marvelous “heaven on earth” place, I think that we might just be the only golden-oldies around. People do a double-take when we tell them we are on our Honeymoon. Most reply “Oh, how many years has it been?” To which we answer “nine weeks”. Then they gush over us and congratulate us. I think we might be to them – a phenomenon! LOL! They are right! We are – to them AND us!
Let me just say that this last quarter of our lives is indeed golden. I know that the Golden Years really mean the last fleeting rays of sunlight like that sunset we witnessed. But, not so for us, because we are believing for far more sunrises than sunsets. Final quarter, twilight years, sunsets isn’t how we’re viewing our lives.
We are expecting this season of life – whatever it may be called, to be purposeful and meaningful. We are calling this our bonus time! We are still here so we are not done with celebrating each day by calling this our dawn – our daybreak. We are building our legacy by realizing the “bonuses” of God’s amazing grace – by not giving up until we’re taken up!
What we accumulate in life are plenty of memories (like we’re doing right now), many friends, an abundance of knowledge, and leaving a legacy. Those are the things we can leave behind for others. This accumulation becomes our legacy, or the way we stake a claim to the fact our lives meant something.
That’s why we’re not missing our grandchildren’s celebrations. A couple of weeks ago we went to Belton, TX, home of University of Mary Hardin Baylor’s family weekend and we watched my grandson and his baseball team scrimmage. The next weekend we attended Westlake High School’s football game where Carl’s granddaughter is a cheerleader. Bonus was Westlake’s win. They have been undefeated for the last three years.
Now we’re celebrating every minute here in Puerto Vallarta. I read this scripture: “He is God of the living, “for to Him all are alive” (Luke 20:38). Oh, I know that scripture pertains to our life evermore, even after we die, but I think about how God is everywhere in all His living creation – the God of the living.
He cares for all living things and He created it all for a purpose. He even uses it all in describing how we should live. Colossians 1:16 says “….all things have been created through Him and FOR Him!” Oh, the entertainment value He must get from His creation. We plan to entertain Him right on through to eternity. How about you?