The girls next to me gasped and grabbed the chairs in front of them. It took me a moment to realize what was happening. We were having an earthquake!

I like earthquakes. Let me be more specific. I like small earthquakes. Most everyone slightly panics when one strikes. I yell, "yippee!" and look at a clock to try to time how long the shaking lasts.

We get a lot of earthquakes here. We are living at the convergence of three fault lines right smack on top of the "Ring of Fire." A few years ago, I took my sixth-grade to the office of Geophysics here in order to see a seismograph. The scientists there told us that we average 50 earthquakes per day. Most of them are not felt.

But, I like the ones I have felt. It is hard for me to explain why I do. When I feel one, I enjoy the movement of the shaking earth. But, deeper than that, I am reminded that I am not in charge. And, that I should not in this earthly life depend on anything other than God's permanence. Mountains are fairly solid structures. A pilot told me that he will not fly through a cloud because there is often granite in those clouds. That granite has been the death of many a soul on this island.

But, as solid as that granite mountain may be, God is more solid. He contours and shapes this world. He contours and shapes our lives. Verse one of Psalm 46 is, "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble." The verse at the top of this article follows it.

Today's earthquake was a 4.4 on the Richter scale. It was located just offshore, about 13 miles from here and happened at 10:01 local time April 3. As far as I have learned, no damage was caused.