By Judy Villanueva
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1)
A gentle breeze blew quietly through our room gracing us with relief from the heat that had kept us up most of the night. I’m sure I had a smile on my face as I enjoyed the goodness of REM sleep only to be nudged awake at 5:00am by my husband. “I really want to watch the sunrise on the Grand Tetons and maybe see a moose and hear the Elk bugle! Let’s get up!” It was as though he cared nothing about sleep and could only imagine the wonder that awaited us. I replied groggily, “I think we are two hours away from sunrise, honey…won’t the sun come up again tomorrow?”
Dozens of tri-pods, Nikons and iphones showed up in the dark to watch and wait for light and an opportunity to catch beauty! The beholding of beauty never seems to suffice and I always find myself wanting just one more shooting star, lightning bolt or minute in the presence of majesty.
There is something about beauty that lets us touch the glory of God and the feel of it makes us want to catch it and take it home in our pockets!
It’s hard to put into words but it’s one thing to read about the glory of God and quite another to feel pulled into the middle of it by a sunrise, moose or mountain face!
I can’t tell you how many fellow “beauty catchers” stood with us in the cold predawn hours or how many pictures I took of one mountain! I didn’t want to leave and couldn’t get enough of what felt like God’s manifest presence, breathtaking and beautiful! Is it the glory we were made for that compels us to linger before beauty?
And, when I’m trying to catch it am I really trying to catch God, to touch the hem of his garment?
As the light finally lifted up over the horizon and ran across the water to celebrate against the mountain face, I found that I did, too! I could feel the declaration of Divine splendor and realized that there in the middle of it all was my God loving me…just waiting to be caught!
“Father, your creation is magnificent! I know when I’m trying to catch beauty I’m really trying to catch you! Thank you for making me for your glory and helping me find it. Amen.”
What about you?
How does the experience of beauty make you feel?
Do you recognize that feeling of not wanting an experience of beauty to end?
Where did you last experience the glory of God?
We were made for His glory….linger in it and let God love you there.
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