The Gulf of Mexico: Extravagant

I mean extravagant as in: absurd, bizarre, crazy, exaggerated, excessive, extreme, fanciful, fantastic, flamboyant, gradiose, immoderate, implausible, inordinate, lavish, ludicrous, nonsensical, preposterous, unreasonable and unrestrained.

These are the thoughts that I had during our out-of-the-way jaunt to the Gulf of Mexico on our drive home from Texas last week.

First, we drove through 30 miles of bayou. Having never been in a bayou, I found the landscape fascinating and just a little scary. There was nothing around the dry strip of road except water and quaggy vegetation. There was one way in and one way out.

Then suddenly, we had arrived; the Gulf was right in front of us. We were in Holly Beach, Louisiana. Population: 17, judging by the 'neighborhood' of posh heightened houses and RV's. The water was muddy and the tide was coming in. We had to carefully navigate tide pools and muck to make it to the water's edge. I was naturally speechless in regard to the perspective. Oceans (and the gulfs that are attached to them) are so huge. It's quite humbling.

There were seashells of all shapes and sizes on the beach. This is where the extravagance knocked me over. At our feet were countless tiny shells and they covered the beach around us. They crunched under our feet with every step. How can that many sea critters have thrown off their homes? How could there be that many shells in one place? I was astounded.

Such wonders force me to praise my Lord. The excessive majesty and unrestrained creativity of God are characteristics that we can experience. What a gift.

THE heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.

Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

-Psalm 19:1-4

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

-Romans 1:20