Day 12- GOD'S CREATION!

Hey Guys!

     So, today, our family did something really, REALLY cool. We went to this forest preserve called Wilson Creek Gorge. The beauty that surrounded us was truly gorgeous, I'm so sorry I didn't get a picture of it! :( Anyways, we had heard about a specific swimming area called Harper Falls, and went to "go check it out". We had no idea what we were in for!

    First off, the falls were a good 2 miles away, no one told us that. Secondly, the trail, if it could even be called that was very, VERY rough. Lastly, once we had gotten to the falls, we realized that we could actually RIDE the falls down into a swimming hole at the bottom!! Being from Chicago, this was something we had never even HEARD of, much less done it!

    We took the risk though, and I am so glad we did. I have never done anything that can compare to what I did today, and I loved it! I am so happy that we have a God who MADE everything, who MADE those falls that we rode on today, and who still is a loving God, and cares for every SINGLE person. It's times like these that I realize just how big, mighty, and MAJESTIC our God is, but it is also humbling because I am reminded that God doesn't have to love us, God didn't even have to MAKE us, but he does it anyway. It reminds me that God has the power to completely wipe out all of mankind with just the swoosh of his hand, but instead he loves us, and he is merciful towards us, and he will always forgive us, no matter how many times we screw up!

   One of my all time favorite verses in scripture, Exodus 15:6-7 reads this, "Your right hand, O Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty, you threw down those who opposed you." Let's break this down a bit, "Your right hand, O Lord was MAJESTIC in power", so our God is super powerful and his creation displays how majestic that power is. Then we read on, "Your right hand, O Lord shattered the enemy." I love how matter of fact and honest this is, "Our God is awesome, and powerful, and majestic...oh yeah, and he can crush you flat at any given point..." That's what I think when I read this passage, it shows the dualism of God's personality so well. Think about a parent, your parents love you, however, they can also be stern with you, and they want to teach you that your choices have consequences. It's the same with God, God is loving and will never stop loving you, however, he wants to teach you that disobeying God has it's consequences. Consider Jonah, after everything that Jonah did to disobey God, was God angry? No! Did he ever STOP loving Jonah? Nope, in fact, he gave him a second chance, just like he gives US second chances. Let's keep reading, the last verse can be a bit confusing, "In the greatness of your majesty, you threw down those who opposed you." This passage can be a bit contradictory, but I want to break it down. First off, "In the greatness of your majesty" I think it is implied here that God is acting in the name of his majesty, I may be wrong, but that is how I interpret it. So, with that out of the way, we can make sense of what the verse says, "In the name of your great majesty, you threw down those who opposed you." 
That's all for now!
<3 Always,
Rose