As I travel around the world I find myself increasingly in awe at this place we call home. There are so many things of beauty, breath-stealing panoramas and scenes, and hope filled moments in places where you least expect or often ignore. How can one capture the beauty, fear, and hope that comes with the beginning of new life as a sea turtle gives birth under a full moon. When the clutch is full the harsh reality of life begins again for one in the journey back to the sea. The distance, so easy and quick to walk, always carries the risk of disorientation and death, yet in the movement one can see determination, striving, and the will to overcome all obstacles.
I find myself at a loss to describe the restoring nature of an onsen in Hokkaido. There is incredible experience and beauty of being served and sharing tea. The life giving waters reach a part of the body that has cried out for help and recreation. In this magical experience one finds that the soul longs to exchange ideas and experiences.
Wisdom talks about his awe and confusion. “Three things amaze me, no, four things I’ll never understand—how an eagle flies so high in the sky, how a snake glides over a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, why adolescents act the way they do.” (Proverbs 30.18, 19) What brings confusion and awe to you today? Is there something that satisfies the thirst within your soul in ways that nothing else can do?
Even in the cold gray of winter there is beauty all around. In the dawn of spring the wonder of new birth is present. In the autumn I can see how the hope of things to come shape our willingness to endure temporary hardships. Yet it is so easy to lose track of everything that makes life full and complete. I forget that God loves unconditionally. I am blind to the gifts of mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Yet these gifts remain – open, free, and available for and to all.
