On God's Creativity

I've just flown across the lower half of the continuous 48 states for the first time: Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, California. For a girl who's only been as far west as Dallas, this is a pretty big deal. (And nerd that I am, yes, I took pictures out of the plane window.) My flight today has lead me straight to Genesis chapter 1 and the account of God's handiwork. Not only did he create the earth, he created it to be incredibly diverse. Over my 6 hours in the air today, I saw "mountains", mountains and MOUNTAINS (there are, in fact, varying degrees of mountainous topography), I saw forests, plains and deserts (and I have to admit, the deserts held my attention more than just about anything else I saw). I can't even count the number of times the word "wow" fell out of my mouth today.

And then I landed, and the diversity and creativity of our Creator became even more obvious. Having spent my entire life on the east coast, I thought I knew every kind of tree out there. Boy was I wrong. There are trees out here that I've never seen before, and the ones I'm familiar with are missing. I knew I had a narrow view of the world, but I had no idea how narrow!

I'm in awe of the beauty of where I live and have thousands of pictures to prove it, but it's nothing compared with what else is out there. Life is like that, isn't it? From time to time, God will do something amazing for us that makes us whisper "wow". For a while, we bask in the beauty of that moment or that act and we think that it just can't get any better. But God is creative and loves to give us gifts, and His next amazing act brings us right back to that whispered "wow" all over again. Maybe it's an answer to prayer. Maybe it's the most beautiful sunset you've ever seen. Maybe it's the view from the top of the hill you've just climbed. Maybe it's a verse or a hymn that catches you completely off guard. Whatever your "wow" moment is, it is a gift to you and you alone from a God who loves you enough to take joy in your joy.

So open your eyes and look around. God is doing amazing things every day, and perhaps, today is your day for a wow moment. And if it's not, and you're having a hard time, think back to the last time you couldn't keep a smile off your face as you saw or experienced a gift from God, and let that sustain you and encourage you as you walk through the current darkness. When the sun comes up again, I bet you'll be in awe at what you see!