Seaside Escape, Part 6: From Doubt to Trust, and a New Name

This part of the retreat was, by far, the most meaningful to me.  After taking this rock and throwing it into the depths of the bay, it was time to walk along the shoreline "thanking and praising God as you rest in His presence."  

Thank you, God, for the courage and grace to cast my fears on You.  I know I can trust you with 

my future. 

Thank you for taking my view of a little rock that I held with fear of the future,

and showing me bigger rocks that are each one unique. You colored each one,
textured each one, and shaped each one as only You, the Master Artist, can.
 .

The world is Your canvas and this itty bitty strip of Chesapeake shoreline is a breathtaking

mosaic. 

Thank You for the color blue.

Thank You for this quiet spot, for leading me beside still waters. 

Thank You for the singer who was sitting down on a bench, virtually hidden behind these trees
and outbuildings near the water. Her voice, so sweet, so pure, so clear, lifted my soul heavenward.

As I climb these steps, I am following the prompt in the Prayer Walk booklet. 

I say, "I will trust in You, Lord," emphasizing each word with 

each step. 

I will trust in You, Lord!

I will trust in You, Lord.

I will trust in You, Lord. 

I will trust in You, Lord.

I will trsut in You, Lord. 

The last stop was in the gazebo. Here we were to think about the

meaning of our name. There were baby name books available to

anyone who didn't know theirs. (I knew mine.) 

Then we were to choose any shell and write a NEW name on it

Click to enlarge this one and read the middle paragraph. It's so insightful.

"My beloved" is the name my spirit longs to hear. 

God cherishes me. I need to be reminded of that, 

so I wrote it on my shell.