Lifting Our Heads

On a day when my outdoor morning time was flipped to afternoon, I beheld this lovely sunset as I looked across the west parking lot of the church I serve. The sinking sun painted this red swath in an instant. It was a mesmerizing sight, as if God drew a brush across the sky for the sheer beauty and joy of the doing. When looking at the diversity and wonder of creation, it seems to me that God does exactly that sort of thing. And we are the ever fortunate recipients.

In times like these times, when emotions run high and ideologies test the extremes, when spirits are weary and hope is dim, it is often our tendency to pull away and turn inward. When living in such a space we miss the wonder of this world in which we live. Diversity, instead of being a revelation of the nature of God, comes to be seen as an enemy. Serendipity passes unrealized as we lower our head under the burden of our anxiety and fear.

Sunsets and hot air balloons and ridiculous holiday decorations, all are lost to us if we cannot see them as they drift in and out of this marvelously absurd life.

Old Jonah, the most famous person to be swallowed by a fish, knew something about losing his way and missing the point of life. He reflected on his life with these words, “When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went to you in your holy Temple.” The Good News is that we can lift our heads at any time and once again be in tune with God and the gifts of life God so graciously offers. We can once again see the sunset, no matter what else still swirls around us in our life. And that is enough to see us through to another day.

Peace.