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Do not say, "I am
hidden from the Lord, and who from on high has me
in mind? Among so many people I am unknown, for
what am I in a boundless creation?” Sir 16:17
I took some deep
breaths as I walked to the end of our short
driveway to retrieve the morning newspaper. In the
darkness of the early morning, the crispy, cool,
late-summer air was a delight to feel on my flesh
and in my lungs. It was cool enough to invigorate
every cell of my body, yet not so cool as to be
uncomfortable; much like a wintergreen mint for
the entire body and soul.
Turning to return
to the house I faced the expanse of the
southeastern sky and involuntarily exclaimed, “Oh,
my!” Brilliant pin points pierced the morning sky
like so many diamonds. I stood in wonder, awe, and
appreciation. My spirit cried, “Oh Lord, I am so
small. I am but a mere speck of sand in the
vastness of your boundless creation. Yet you love
me as though I were your only child.” Then I
hurried on to prepare for the coming day.
The next morning,
and the next, the morning air and sky were repeats
of that first awesome experience. I took a bit
more time to savor and to reverence. I raised my
arms in prayer and gave thanks for God’s intimate
love for me in the midst of this infinite
creation. And a shooting star passed across my
field of vision. Really. It sent chills up my
spine. The next morning, exactly the same thing
happened; another shooting star.
I certainly am not
going to imagine that I can conjure up a shooting
star. Neither will I question why, just as I
offered up prayer, precisely at that moment, a
shooting star would appear ... twice. Whether I
was meant for the meteor or the meteor was meant
for me is beyond my knowing, as is much of the
mystery of God’s creation.
Each morning I
opened my senses to the multitude of sounds that
most of us just treat as background. I laughed as
a duck in the pond behind me quacked its own
chuckle. I could hear the powerful ocean, more
than a mile away. The sound of cars moving through
the neighborhood and on the main roads some
distance off brought to mind endless numbers of
people, each living their own experience of
creation.
Carrying the
newspaper into the house became a weighty
experience. In my hand I was carrying word of the
world’s joys, worries and travails. Me… occupying
my little few cubic feet of this infinite
creation. And yet God is aware of me and cares for
me. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet
not one of them will fall to the ground apart from
your Father.” (Matt 10:29)
How can a person
respond to such extravagant love except by living
a thankful life, by cultivating a grateful spirit?
How can anyone say no to anything that our loving
creator asks of us? All he asks is that we live in
love of Him and his creation. That means
acknowledging his love and abundant giving. God
created each of us to glorify him through our
moment by moment actions. He created each of us to
carry out his work in the world. He provides each
of us abundant resources to accomplish that work.
It is our stewardship to say with word and
actions, “Yes, Lord.” |
