Green Sands

My knees buckled as the beat-up four-wheel drive pickup with worn out shocks bounced over exposed and jagged lava rock.  Just as my leg muscles engaged to counter my lower body collapse, the trucks’ heavily used rear tires grabbed traction and lurched the tail end up and over a ledge.  The combined energy nearly launched me out of the back of the truck.  I white knuckled the steel railing along the side of the pickup bed with exuberant intensity.  I had no desire to get thrown out.  My shyness of the mockery that would surely follow invigorated my willpower to hold on.  I had no doubts that true concern for my well-being would have been offered.  It simply would have been expressed only after the laughter subsided.

The old white Dodge had seen better days and much better roads.  I would have preferred to be driving myself, but, to my chagrin, I was assigned a standing position in the back of the truck along with the rest of my family.  It was proving to be an interesting ride - a ride that exuded a cattle truck aura.  Although, I was sure our future held more promise than cattle en route to a grocery store, I was starting to wonder if my kidneys would still be attached and functioning when it was all over.

“Just two more miles to go,” I grimaced.  Bang.  I exhaled a heavy groan of protest as my ribs hit the railing.  Screech.  The truck’s frame offered it’s own form of protest as it skidded over another rock ledge.  Growl.  The transmission shuddered with the mincing and grinding of gears.  Vroom.  The engine roared as smoke poured out of the exhaust.  “Another crazy adventure to stimulate the senses”, I mused.  Normally, at this point, my family would give me the “death glare” followed by the “what are we doing?” expression, and the “you are crazy” look.  However, that was not the case.  They were truly happy.  Amidst the teeth-shattering bumps and rock crunching thuds, they were laughing.  I would like to say that they were finally embracing the adventurous spirit, but, to be honest, I think they were just thrilled to be hitching a ride that saved them six miles of hiking.  Yeah, despite the cattle truck ambiance, I was smiling too.  I was happy because they were happy.  (“Happy wife = Happy life”).  Also, I was smiling because we were very close to the intended destination.  I had heard about it.  I had dreamt about it.  Soon, I was about to see, touch, and feel the sands of Papakōlea Beach between my fingers and toes.  Why all the fuss?  What’s the big deal?  Let me explain.

Papakōlea Beach is unlike most beaches that come to mind.  In fact, it is very unique.  Papakōlea, located on the Big Island of Hawaii very near the most Southern point of the United States, is an oddity and a rarity.  It is not a white sandy beach.  Nor is it a black sandy beach.  What makes Papakōlea so special is the abundance of a magnesium-iron-silicate mineral called olivine.  In other words, it is a beautiful little beach with GREEN sand.

There are very few green sand beaches in the world.  The actual number is subjective since everyone has various tolerances concerning shades of green.  However, many resources document only four known green sand beaches in the world.  They are located in Norway, Guam,  the Galápagos Islands, and the Big Island of Hawaii.  Obviously, they are not located in the most accessible places on earth, but, I believe, that makes them even more special.  Rarity, uniqueness, and locale make them worthy of visitation.  I can wholeheartedly say that the green sands of Papakōlea Beach were worth sore ribs and a white-knuckling four-wheel drive adventure.  In my opinion, wiggling toes in green sand somewhere in the world should be on everyone’s bucket list.

After romping in the sand and enjoying some family time, I snapped this photo.  The red rock surrounded by green sand with the incoming wave really seemed to make a statement.  At the time, I wasn’t really sure what it was exclaiming so I filed it away and enjoyed the sun, sand, waves, and laughter.  Unfortunately, our fun visit came to an end way too soon.

As the green sands of Hawaii grew smaller in the rear view mirror, I started reflecting on the experience.  It didn’t take me long to return to this picture.  Again and again, over the next few days, I would thumb through pictures and stop on this one.  There was something about it that fascinated me.  It was striking.  It was powerful.  But there was more to it.  It seemed to be offering up a bold question.  I couldn’t figure it out so I just started writing....

The abundance of the mineral, olivine, gives the Papakōlea Beach it’s distinctive green color.  Yet, olivine is not the only mineral and substance present.  What really creates the green sands beach is the wind and wave action.  It seems that nature tries to perpetually beat the shoreline into submission.  Persistent wind carries dust and ash particles away while the surf crashes in to tackle larger items.  The constant barrage hour after hour, day after day, month after month, and year after year causes heavy erosion.  As material is broken down into smaller components, the waves gladly pull the light remnants into the dark depths.  It is only the heavier matter that can withstand the constant onslaught and remain on the beach under the sun.  So it is there that we find the heavier mineral called olivine.  Like a stubborn bull dog, the olivine clings to the shore and refuses to be tugged into the ocean by the current.  Over time, while most light weights have succumbed to the wind and waves, the olivine mineral holds firm and presents us with a rare spectacle -- a green sandy beach.

In the Bible, specifically in the Book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul warns of the dangers of being immature Christians.  He writes that immature Christians are likely to be “tossed back and forth by the waves”.  He continues by writing that immaturity leads to being “blown here and there by every wind of teaching”.  Does that sound familiar?  Does that describe the creation of the green sands beach?

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:14-15 NIV)

Jesus warned of “false prophets” and “wolves in sheep’s clothing”.  He said, “”Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them....”” (Matthew 7:15-16 NIV).  Continuing the theme, several letters in the New Testament also address issues of “false doctrine”.  It was a problem that invaded the early church, and it is still a big problem that persists today.  There is only one way to guard against being swept away by the waves of false prophets and doctrines.  Know and study the Word.  As Christians, we are directed to “correctly handle the word of truth”.  It is by knowing God’s Word that we can shield against the incessant attacks of Satan and remain on the beach.  As the perfect example, Jesus countered Satan’s offered temptations by quoting Scripture.  We must remember that Satan masquerades as an angel of light while his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness.  It’s not a game.  We cannot afford to be light weights lest we succumb to the ravaging pull of the current!

So what is the picture so boldly asking?

Before I took the picture, I stood upon the red rock to avoid getting wet.  The rock provided a solid foundation while the tumultuous waves swirled around me.

In Romans Chapter 9 Verse 33;  “As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”” (Romans 9:33 NIV)

The picture proposes a fundamental and unflinchingly fearless question that ALL of us must answer.  What will we do with the stone as the waves of false doctrines and prophets rise up and thunder towards us?  Will we stand upon it or stumble and drown?

It is THE question of all questions.  What will you do with Jesus?