NOVEMBER GRATITUDE: The Awesome Beauty of Creation
My husband and I have a vacation club membership, and we learned a few weeks ago if we didn’t use points by the end of October, we would lose them. So, we began looking for a getaway within driving distance and decided on a resort in Western Montana.
I am a born-and-raised-in-Montana girl, and I love returning to my home state. I am passionate about travel, and everyplace I’ve been privileged to visit holds a unique place in my heart. Somehow, Montana always feels exceptionally special.
On one of our walks through the woods, I reminisced about growing up and remembered a song we often sang during school assemblies. Right there on that path, I started singing,
Montana, Montana, glory of the west.
Of all the states from coast to coast,
you’re easily the best.
Montana, Montana, where skies are always blue.
M-O-N-T-A-N-A,
Montana, I love you!!
Ron was amused, and I thought to myself, “At least my singing might be a deterrent to bears!” After all, several signs had warned we were in “Bear Country!”
One picture-perfect autumn day, we were able to go into Apgar Village, which is located on Lake McDonald just inside the west entrance to Glacier Park. As Ron took photos, I strolled along the rocky beach before sitting on a large granite rock.
The sight I beheld was the scene Ron photographed in today’s post. The magnificence of God’s creation filled my soul with awe.
While reveling in that environment, I began praying for four different women who have rested heavily on my heart the past few months. I imagine each of these precious souls believes in and reverences God in her own way. Each, however, also deals with addiction and the trauma, shame, and dysfunction resulting from unwise, often destructive, decisions. My prayers always include these women’s loved ones who struggle to discover the delicate balance between compassionate caring and unhelpful co-dependence.
Somehow, God’s great love and ability to heal the hurting hearts of these individuals seemed greater when I prayed—while my backside became quite chilly— seated on that granite stone.
Paul David Tripp observed, “Where you look for awe will shape the direction of your life.” Perhaps where one looks with awe will re-shape the direction of his or her prayers. A thought worth pondering.
If your heart is hurting today, I pray you will find hope and healing as the gracious Spirit enables you to see AWE!
Blessings on your day!
