Awe Inspiring

I had to drive Rhett to our church yesterday afternoon during the evening rush hour to catch his bus for a winter camp weekend. I do not enjoy Washington D.C. traffic! It is one of the things Washingtonians get to lament about and rightly so. After dropping him off I had the pleasure of spending 45+ minutes on the beltway with the other crazies, but added to my pleasure were two small people in the seats behind me questioning when all of this driving would be over. A question I was asking myself!

My husband had called to say that he was already home and I struck a deal to drop the girls off and steal away for a few minutes to the library before it closed early. He agreed. I got a couple of books and sat in the car perusing them...just enjoying the quiet. I began driving home and was waiting at a stop light when I noticed the glorious sunset over the clock tower of the library. The upper atmosphere was a deep blue and the white swaths of intermittent clouds seemed stationary. They looked like a painter had used a wide brush to lay his strokes against the far-away canvass. In the lower atmosphere there was "a storm a brewin'." The white fluffy clouds were moving across the sky and I thought, "they're going to get to where they're going faster than I will." All of this splendor was bathed with a pink/melon colored hue that was awe inspiring!

I then began thinking about how people are drawn to sunsets. There is a lot of beauty in the world, but we as human beings seem inexpressibly drawn especially to sunsets. I know when I look upon one, I feel a peace and calmness. I'm mesmerized by the colors and the quickly fading sun. In my heart I express to God my thankfulness for the days He has given me and enjoy the peaceful moment to remember that the coming and going of the sun are in His hands.

Often my favorite sunsets are at the beach. I think that is true for many people. In those moments I think about the vastness of the ocean and how big and awesome creation expresses it's Creator. As I get older, I appreciate all that He has made more and more. Psalm 19 says it best:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

Then the passage transitions to the well-known verses about God's testimony. Although I generally do not care for The Message, in this instance I like how the verses on God's testimony seem so seamless to the previous verses about His creation.

7-9
The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes.
God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree.

God displays Himself to us everyday. Sometimes I think it just takes a sunset to help us realize it. Challenge yourself to look at how He is revealing Himself to you today!

(last sunset of 2008 on a Florida beach)