God's Instagram in Real Life
As I sit here on this fall day, golden sunlight streams through the window and lights up the trees outside. It reminds me of the sky we saw as we drove eastward across Kansas last week. As we returned from out trip “Out West,” storms rolled across the prairie and the gunmetal gray sky was suddenly lit from behind us by the setting sun. A rainbow with even the violet clearly visible appeared in front of us and eventually became a double rainbow. Then, as we passed a field of bright yellow canola, the sun broke through clouds and illuminated the field so it glowed against that dark gray sky and green trees. Everyone exclaimed as we snapped pictures out the van window.
And that’s the way I believe God wants it. I believe He created a world with flashes of incredible beauty and monuments of timeless grandeur, and He wants us to see it. He wants us to enjoy it. He wants us to be awed and thrilled by it.
We saw a lot of it in one week. We saw a storm sweep over Great Sand Dunes National Park and nearly carry Kal away with the swirling sand. We saw aspens just turning golden in the Colorado mountains. We saw hot springs bubbling up in the middle of a small town, creating pools that people soaked in. We got close enough to mule deer to touch them (but didn’t) and passed by two herds of bighorn sheep. We saw the vastness of the Western deserts and the grandest canyon of them all. We gaped over random rock formations rising out of the flat desert and marveled over the beauty of stark orange arches and walls. We hiked through ancient green forests with clear, cold streams. We drove along precipitous mountain passes and watched the landscape change from moment to moment, from lush valleys of winding rivers to the aspen stands to the evergreen forests to the barrenness above the timber line. And through it all, we were impressed with God’s creativity and beauty.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2
“Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.” Psalm 148: 3-4
I believe God loves it when we glory in His creation. He created it for us to enjoy, and it gives Him joy when we do. So open your eyes. Enjoy the common grace of beauty in creation. And if you don’t already subscribe to US Interior’s Instagram feed, do. You will see the best of our country’s beauty every day.
