June 25, 2009 - Reflection on trip to Southwest US

We just returned from a vacation to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Colorado. My brother arranged for us to journey around the Colorado, Arizona, and Utah areas to visit the amazing natural wonders there. He took us to see the Navajo Indian’s Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Glen Canyon, Lake Powell, and the Capital Reef National Park. We camped for a couple of nights and “roughed it” in motels the remaining time and did a large amount of hiking.
But what struck me over and over was the amazingly creative hand of God. In such a relatively small region of the United States, there is a diverse amount of natural beauty and wonder. We were continually awed at the sheer size, beauty, and majesty of each location. Over and over again, we could not imagine how anything could be more beautiful, and yet, as we travelled on, in the diversity of the surroundings, we experienced more of the same – this amazing beauty! We witnessed how artistically God’s hand used the wind and the water to sculpt out of the earth these works of art for our enjoyment.
On our trip home, I reflected on our time away and, as I gazed at my wife sitting next to me, realized the amazingly creative hand of our God in making the natural beauty and wonder of this person sitting next to me. I realized that, just as God had taken His time to create the beauty in nature around us, He has taken even more time to give special attention to the creation of His image bearers – you and I.
“So God created man (and woman) in his own image… (And) God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:27a and 31a.
Questions to consider: Have you taken some time to reflect on the creative beauty that is around you from God’s hand? Have you taken time to reflect on the amazing way that nature has been put together? Have you taken time to reflect on the amazing way that you are put together by God?
Prayer: Father, thank You for Your creative hand in putting nature together in such a beautiful and wonderful way. And thank You for putting us together in a beautiful and wonderful way, as Your image bearers. Amen.