Just a Pelican

I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days near the ocean in southern California. I spent the first thirty years of my life near the ocean and have been missing it quite a bit lately. While there, I was fortunate enough to see some beautiful sights such as Whales, Seals, Dolphins and Pelicans.

As I was watching the Pelicans fly just an inch or two above the ocean surface, soaring so close to the water, rising and dropping along with the waves, I was amazed. Such a large bird, averaging over 10 lbs with a wing span averaging 6 feet, flying just over the ocean with only a flap of his wings every so often. I must have watched these large birds for hours flying and diving into the ocean after small fish. Amazed, I contemplated on what an incredible creature they are, their large beak for catching and holding fish, their hollow bones that allow for flight, yet very strong to withstand the forces of diving from hundreds of feet into the ocean after their prey. WOW! And that’s just the pelican I thought, let alone the whales, seals and dolphins I had seen. Then I was reminded of a verse from Romans (1:19-20):

“They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

God continuously reveals Himself all around us, through His creation, a newborn baby, an answer to prayer that has no other explanation than divine intervention, and, yes, pelicans.

May we stop to witness and appreciate God, and this amazing playground He has placed us in. And may we be reminded that that same God loves us more than we will ever fully comprehend. We have no excuse for not knowing Him.