In a few days, I am going to head off to visit my grandparents at their house in Rockport, Texas. It should be a fun week for me, since I'm getting to go with my sister and my cousin for a little one-on-one time with our grandma and grandpa, which has only happened one other time before. Rockport is a tiny little town where everybody knows everybody, and everybody loves to fish (almost everyone, anyway). There's a little movie theater where I spend plenty of time during my visits, and there are plenty of great restaurants to grab a bite to eat (such as Panjo's pizza, a family favorite). Rockport has always been one of my favorite places to go because it's a place where my whole family can gather and spend time together, and I am always welcome and comfortable there.

I've been to Rockport a dozen times in my life. I have memories of that place dating back to my early childhood, and my grandparent's house holds many memories for me. I remember watching the fireworks my uncles set off on the Fourth of July, and I remember taking boat rides to go shell hunting. I remember fishing off the pier, and I remember getting swarmed by seagulls at the beach. I remember playing "Star Wars" with my cousins on the playground that my grandfather built, and I remember riding bikes up and down the driveway. I remember my dad pushing me on the rope swing tied to one of the towering trees in the yard, and I remember making cookies with Grammy in the kitchen. I remember the countless times I sneaked into my grandpa's shed, looking at all of his tools and fishing lures because I thought they were so cool. I remember staying up late in the guest house and looking at the stars, trying to spot different constellations in the sky and wondering who else was out there, looking at the same stars as me.

The funny thing about it is that I can still go back there today and do all of the same things that I used to do when I was little. I can go hunt for shells on the same beach, go look at the same stars at night, and go to the same restaurants we always do. And it never gets old to me. I could go there a hundred times and do the same things, and I wouldn't mind, because I live in a world that is constantly changing. All my life is doing right now is changing as I prepare for college, face the challenges of being a teenager, and make new friends. It's refreshing to be able to go to Rockport and get away from it all for a while. I've gone from third grade to eighth grade to eleventh grade, and Rockport has always been there. I can keep growing and changing, and my family will be there. When I look back, Rockport has always been there and my family has always been there, and that has never changed.

That's kind of what God is like, if you think about it. He's the constant in a world that never stops moving and changing. He's the escape when things are moving too fast. He's the little fishing town that you can go to when you want to find some peace. In fact, God is even more constant than Rockport is to me. As much as it pains me, I know that Rockport will not last forever. One day the world will catch up to that little fishing town, and my memories may not match what it turns out to be. But God isn't going anywhere. It says it right there in Malachi 3:6 - "I am the Lord, and I do not change."

The fact is that all of the earthly things we love - whether it's a person, place, or thing - will not last forever. Even the things that you assume will always be there probably won't. Friends come and go, buildings will eventually crumble, and memories fade. The world will never stop changing, and people will never stop going through phases. But God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. No matter how many times you read the verses, the meanings never change. No matter how many times you mess up, God is always going to love you. No matter how many years go by, the Bible will always be true. God gives you earthly things as blessings only to show that He is forever.

So this week when I go back to Rockport, I'm going to enjoy every moment there. I'm going to make new memories to join the old ones. I'm going to thank God that He gave me my family and a place for us to be together, I'm going to thank God when I come back home to Oklahoma, and I'm going to thank God that He is there when everything else is falling apart.