The wild ponies warm by the rising sun on Assateague Island.
Two of my favorite things given to us by a most gracious God are the ocean and beautiful ponies which are shown here relaxing on the shore under a rising sun with very calm ocean. This is Assateague Island, a barrier island and national seashore located on both sides of the Virginia-Maryland border. The ponies are Spanish in origin, just like so many others found on barrier islands in states further south. North Carolina and in particular. Corolla and Ocracoke, are noted for their ponies as are other locations down the coast.
Now those ponies are wild and protected, allowed to live along the coast and take care of themselves. They love the fresh coarse salt grass as well as some softer, lush grass found inland from the shore and the freedom they gained centuries ago when they swam ashore from Spanish galleons after shipwreck. That was a common event in days gone by and, of course, shipwrecks continue, especially in the Graveyard of the Atlantic down on the North Carolina coast adjacent to Diamond Shoals. They do have an annual auction of some small number of the animals each summer as a fund raiser for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department, but they always keep sufficient numbers of healthy ponies on the island to keep the herd alive for visitors and locals alike to enjoy when they go to the beach.
Then there's the Mighty Atlantic, looking like a lake in the picture, but don't let that fool you. It can change with a shift of the wind into a roiling , roaring angry body of water threatening everyone and everything that comes in contact with it. Not only can it be as wild as a bucking pony, just like those beautiful equine creatures, it is alive as well, teeming with animal life as large as a whale and as small a microscopic speck. And again, it lives in the hearts of beach lovers just as the ponies do in the hearts of equine enthusiasts. They do so because both groups recognize their unique features and the intricacy of how they fulfill their reason for being on earth. Whether those lovers of both blessings recognize it or not, the plan was put in place with perfection by a magnanimous God.
So, when you look at this picture, marvel at what it means. In the case of the sea, Atlantic and other bodies combined, it covers about eighty percent of the earth and has the ability to evoke love and joy as well as fear and pain. It can go from warm and smooth to cold and filled with towering waves multiple stories high in quick. The pony can be gentle and easy to ride or bucking and kicking at the sound of a clap of thunder or the touch of an unloving hand. God wants us to appreciate them but also understand how they are unique and different from us and how we have a responsibility for proper dominion over them.
The Atlantic is aware of its power and how there is no one on the earth who can successfully tame it. The pony, however, has a good understanding of the ocean. The pony knows when to enjoy it and knows when to flee in flight. He has a built in sense of the elements and finds a safe place to go when danger kicks in. It might be hunkered down on the safe side of a dune, using it as a windbreak. He might even find his way into a garage of a nearby home that has been vacated. But barring a hurricane of epic proportions and after the wind lessens and he seas calm, the pony will be right back at the sea as if nothing happened. And it is all just an ongoing part of God's master plan.
Now those ponies are wild and protected, allowed to live along the coast and take care of themselves. They love the fresh coarse salt grass as well as some softer, lush grass found inland from the shore and the freedom they gained centuries ago when they swam ashore from Spanish galleons after shipwreck. That was a common event in days gone by and, of course, shipwrecks continue, especially in the Graveyard of the Atlantic down on the North Carolina coast adjacent to Diamond Shoals. They do have an annual auction of some small number of the animals each summer as a fund raiser for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department, but they always keep sufficient numbers of healthy ponies on the island to keep the herd alive for visitors and locals alike to enjoy when they go to the beach.
Then there's the Mighty Atlantic, looking like a lake in the picture, but don't let that fool you. It can change with a shift of the wind into a roiling , roaring angry body of water threatening everyone and everything that comes in contact with it. Not only can it be as wild as a bucking pony, just like those beautiful equine creatures, it is alive as well, teeming with animal life as large as a whale and as small a microscopic speck. And again, it lives in the hearts of beach lovers just as the ponies do in the hearts of equine enthusiasts. They do so because both groups recognize their unique features and the intricacy of how they fulfill their reason for being on earth. Whether those lovers of both blessings recognize it or not, the plan was put in place with perfection by a magnanimous God.
So, when you look at this picture, marvel at what it means. In the case of the sea, Atlantic and other bodies combined, it covers about eighty percent of the earth and has the ability to evoke love and joy as well as fear and pain. It can go from warm and smooth to cold and filled with towering waves multiple stories high in quick. The pony can be gentle and easy to ride or bucking and kicking at the sound of a clap of thunder or the touch of an unloving hand. God wants us to appreciate them but also understand how they are unique and different from us and how we have a responsibility for proper dominion over them.
The Atlantic is aware of its power and how there is no one on the earth who can successfully tame it. The pony, however, has a good understanding of the ocean. The pony knows when to enjoy it and knows when to flee in flight. He has a built in sense of the elements and finds a safe place to go when danger kicks in. It might be hunkered down on the safe side of a dune, using it as a windbreak. He might even find his way into a garage of a nearby home that has been vacated. But barring a hurricane of epic proportions and after the wind lessens and he seas calm, the pony will be right back at the sea as if nothing happened. And it is all just an ongoing part of God's master plan.
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