Just a Day at the Beach

We’re going to take a bit of a wild guess here and say you probably like the beach. Just a teeny, tiny little bit.

OK. So maybe it’s more like you love it to the moon and back.

And why not? God created something incredible when he made the beaches of the world. The sun, the sand, the rolling waves, the fish, the dolphins in the distance. The beach has so much going for it!

And what’s more, the beach is such an amazing place to see God’s handiwork. Everywhere you turn, this beautiful and complex place points straight to our Creator.

Get some sand between your toes and take a look for yourself!

The Ocean

Tides

You build the biggest, best sandcastle ever. And then, swoosh! The waves wash your moat and towers away.

Why? Because the tide has come in.

But don’t let those high waters discourage you. Tides are very important for life all over the planet and for keeping our oceans healthy. For example, some animals depend on the tides to bring them food or to create a place for them to live, like tide pools.

What causes the water to rise? Look no farther than that big glowing ball in the night sky—the moon! Our moon’s gravitational pull, along with the rotation of the earth, causes the tides each day.

The ocean really rises to the top of God’s greatest creations.

Algae

You may know that plants give us oxygen so that we can take deep breaths. But did you know that over half of earth’s oxygen comes from the ocean?

The ocean is filled with plankton in lots of different forms—from giant strands of seaweed to teeny organisms that are too small to see. Each type uses sunlight to make oxygen.

And that’s a breath of fresh air for sure!

Sand

Cleansing

God created sand to do more than squish when we walk on it or cling to us when we’re leaving the beach. Did you know it also helps clean the water?

When the water washes over those tiny grains, some of the bad stuff (like germs and pollution) gets trapped, so the waves return cleaner. In fact, people use sand to make water filters because of how well it works.

Sand comes in pretty handy in a number of ways. It can be used to make sandpaper (to get things smooth), bricks, and even concrete. You shouldn’t build on the sand, but building with sand can be a great thing.

Colors

When you look around at the world, you can tell God loves to make beautiful things. And he uses lots of variety too, such as all the different colors of sand.

White: made up of mostly quartz or calcium carbonate (the stuff that shells are made of)

Pink: also made from calcium carbonate, but with a sprinkling of coral from coral reefs

Black: comes from dark volcanic rock

Orange: has a dose of iron mixed in with the white sand

Green: gets it shading from an emerald-like mineral called olivine (AH-luh-veen)

Animals

Look carefully at the beach, and you’ll find a zoo of animals—each one with some nifty features that help it to thrive in the sun and waves. Let’s take a look at some super special creatures that really highlight God’s handiwork.

Seagulls

As soon as you start your picnic, these screeching birds show up like unwanted guests. But hungry seagulls help keep beaches clean by eating, well, just about everything.

Beach Mice

Rodents are everywhere—even at the beach! These cute little critters live in sand dunes and eat the seeds and fruits of beach plants. Their eating habits help to spread seeds and keep the dunes healthy. The dunes help protect the coast from storms and floods.

Dolphins

Super fun? Check. Super playful? Check. Super smart? Check! Dolphins have the smarts to plan, play games, and even teach each other new tricks.

Hermit Crabs

These little crustaceans don’t have shells of their own, but God gave them the ability to shop around. When they find a shell that’s just the right size, they scuttle in and call it home.

Sea Stars

These little creatures are certainly the stars of the beach. God gave them the ability to regrow limbs when they lose one.

Sandpipers

You’ve probably seen these little birds scurrying around the beach and following the waves. God gave them long beaks to poke into the sand and snatch up crabs or clams for dinner. (Animals eating animals is something that only happens now because we live in a world after the fall of Genesis 3.)

Connecting the Beach to Jesus

Before Jesus went back to heaven, he gave some very special instructions to his disciples—and to us. He said we are to go everywhere and make disciples by telling everyone the good news about his death and resurrection (Matthew 28:19–20).

But maybe the idea of telling people about Jesus scares you just a bit. What if they make fun of you? What if they ask some really hard questions? Where do you start?

Well, start with the beach!

The beach? Absolutely. The evidence for the Creator is all around us in the universe. You don’t have to look very far to show people how the world points to God’s power and love (like in Psalm 19:1). From crabs to sand to ocean waves, everything shows his care.

But we can’t stop there. We also have to tell people that all of us have disobeyed this powerful, loving God. And the price for our disobedience is death (Romans 5:12). There’s no getting around it.

But thankfully, this God who set the tides in motion loved us so much that he made a way for us to be with him forever (Romans 6:23). He sent his son to die in our place. If we turn from our sins and believe in Jesus, we will have eternal life.

That’s way better than the beach!

Talk It Over

• Have you ever felt afraid of sharing the good news about Jesus with someone? Why did you feel like that? What promises does Jesus make in Matthew 28:20 and John 14:26?
• What part of creation do you know a lot about that you could use to talk about Jesus? (Maybe you love horses or dinosaurs or outer space. All of these point to him!)
• Why isn’t it enough just to believe the universe was created? See Romans 1:20.