That being said, on to posting, while I can. One of my favorite blogs to read is Stuff Christians Like. It's one of the most popular Christian blogs because this dude is hilarious, calling Christians out on all of our quirky trends, mannerisms, habits, etc. It's really entertaining and being a Christian himself, he always has a fun perspective on it.
This morning's post was really good. It's #486 on the Stuff Christians Like list and the post is titled "Finding God in nature." I loved it. I loved every word of it. Because while it's funny that we do this, I think there's a reason for it and a lot of validity in it.
When I think about my time in the mountains in North Carolina, I literally feel physical heartache for it. Most of the time it passes quickly but lately it's a fairly consistent feeling. The majesty in that place can't be described in words, nor can the magic found in the tiny little artistic communities and the people who reside in them. We used to call it a Fairy Land. While it's not a place where there's a lot of work to be done missionally, it's a great place of healing and peace, a place to let your heart rest. It's a mere hint of Glory here on earth and once you've experienced it, it's hard to want to be anywhere else. I suppose that's the point. :)
But, that being said, Jon, the author of Stuff Christians Like makes a really good point and rather than summarize it myself, I'll just let his words speak. Especially since he's hilarious...#486. Finding God in nature.
A few months ago, while driving up to Nashville I crossed over a lake in the middle of a majestic mountain range and the sun was setting and the water was shimmering like a thousand diamonds in a rapper's grill and I didn't even care that the whole experience would one day be captured in an impossibly long run on sentence because I felt like God had created that scene just for me.
I love finding God in nature like that. That is fun and special and something I look forward to when I go to beautiful places. But there's a challenge.
We don’t all live in the mountains. Few of us live close enough to see the rise and fall of the tide for a God reminder. Most of us spend most of our days in gray walled cubicles, under florescent lights in corporate America. No mountain vista, no deep ocean divinity, no soaring eagle of sovereignty is found on the average Tuesday in an average week.
I think that in addition to finding God in extraordinary places, we need to look for Him in ordinary places. We need to make sure we don’t miss domestic miracles and mysteries. I remember once reading about the burning bush incident with Moses. I was blown away by the idea that in Exodus 3:3 it says, “So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight-why this bush does not burn up.” I started praying, “God give me strange sights in my own life. Please give me mysteries to explore.”
I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe some sort of massive mystery, with a map and a cool eye patch and at least one incident where I had to swing over a pit of snakes. Or maybe the sky would open and from the heavens I would see all of God’s nature reveal His majesty because I had requested a strange sight to explore like Moses.
Instead, I felt like God reminded me, “You want to explore a mystery? Your wife is a mystery. You don’t understand her. There’s your mystery. Get to know her better.”
I laughed. I had to laugh. I wanted the mountain top experience. I wanted to find God in nature like a burning bush or a safari trip where staring at something odd like a zebra forces me to deal with the creative mind of our Savior. Instead, in my small living room in my small ordinary house in Alpharetta, GA, God reminded me I was already engaged with a deep mystery. My wife.
Keep going to the ocean. Keep going to the mountains. Keep having your breath snatched away when you find a cross in nature. But don’t miss the domestic miracles and mysteries God brings across your path whether you’re married or single. They happen more than you think and are closer than you might have ever guessed.
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