2008-05-13

Confronted in the Clouds

~written May 2 in an airplane over Texas~

Looking out a thick, oval window, I see the crawling, green moss of forests and muddy, streaked paths of rivers. Up here I sense my smallness. Millions of individuals scatter like ants from the mound. Can God really be mindful of each one? Is it true he counts the hairs on my head? It takes faith to cling to the promise of love, yet I ponder the evidence.

Wheatfield under a Cloudy Sky, 1890 by Vincent van Gogh
Wheatfield under a Cloudy Sky by Van Gogh

I am tied to this amazing world by something invisible. Forces I can’t see and don’t understand give me life. Each breath is taken in faith as oxygen fills my lungs. I cannot believe man is an accident, but are we really the crowning glory of creation?Crawling on this rock, our marks are visceral. In pursuit of fulfillment, we create, we love, we fall, we cry. Does anyone answer? Is our toil futile? Our contributions are for good or evil; the spirit lifted in hope or crushed in debauchery.

Soaring above it all, my soul is pulled to things higher than mere existence. My life is valuable to the ones indistinguishable on the ground. Their affection gives me hope. What is the origin of relationship? Love came from somewhere. Natural affection is powerful, but is it a glimpse of something greater? Is there a love stronger than death? I rest in the promise of a faithful Creator. He planted my feet firmly in the clay, but one day he will give them wings.

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  3. American History Series- My Heritage is Beautiful to Me
  4. Overcoming Perfectionism
  5. Raising Washingtons

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8 Comments

  1. emily 2008-05-13, 3:27 pm

    Origins of relationship. I like that. God has relationship. The trinity makes me understand that. That it’s all a glimpse of Him. Weird, huh?

  2. Heather Young 2008-05-13, 10:15 pm

    I have chills. Beautiful.

  3. Jennifer in OR 2008-05-14, 1:52 am

    I have thoughts just like this every single time I fly. Or am up really high. :-) There’s something about getting perspective on our smallness that gives depth to HIS greatness. Thanks for the reflection.

  4. Michele 2008-05-14, 7:19 am

    Beautiful, beautiful words. After reading your post and some of your comments, I feel a bit guilty over what I wrote about today. I guess God is pretty awesome too, not just Jesus :-)

  5. Renae 2008-05-14, 1:19 pm

    Emily,
    My thoughts exactly. :) I think most things do point to God. That’s one reason I homeschool my kids. We can discover the magnificence of the Creator together.

    Heather,
    Oh, no. I hope you aren’t getting sick. ;) Seriously, thank you.

    Jennifer,
    It’s amazing, isn’t it? Our world is enormous and the universe unfathomable, yet it is held together by the breath of God.

  6. Shari Ellen 2008-05-15, 2:55 pm

    That was lovely sounding and so deep. Whenever we toil for Him, it can’t be futile.

  7. Amanda 2008-05-15, 3:28 pm

    Amazing post. Lovely, poignant words.

  8. Summer 2008-05-16, 7:14 am

    A beautiful post Renae! I love to go to the mountains, it reminds me how big our God is and how small I am. It reminds me that I need Him but He wants me.

    Just beautiful friend!

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