The Lights that Blind

I know many of you marvel at God’s creation…for some of you, this is how you worship.  I think for all of us, we tend to have those “aha” moments when we see a piece of creation in its raw beauty.

• Have you ever pulled your car over to the side of the road to gaze at a newly formed rainbow?
• Have you ever stared in silence at the massive number of stars in the heavens?
• Have you ever stopped to soak in the majesty of God in the beauty of the mountains and trees?
• Have you recently examined a small flower really closely or smelled a red rose lately?

I was walking in my neighborhood one evening around 8:30 at night…the street lights had come on and night was falling.  During my walk I tried several times to look up at the heavens to marvel at God’s creation.   A song I was listening to even suggested I “look up to see His handiwork”.  I tried, but the lights from the street were too bright.  They overshadowed the stars.  I felt a disappointment.

As I walked back up to my house, the street lights faded into the distance.  As I looked through my yard behind my home, where the deeper darkness of night lay, I could see stars in places where there were none before!  It was as though scales had been peeled from my eyes and I now could see clearly the hand of God.

I was also recently at a camp in rural Alabama and I had another occassion to walk outside and observe God’s creations.  I tried to find a dark place, but, in this case the conference center lights were simply getting in the way of what I really wanted to see.  I noticed the cleaning lady making her way through the building and then….in an instant, the lights were turned off and the skies became clear to me and I could behold the majesty of God.  It was magical.

I believe the lights of “life” blind us to the glory of God all around us.  We tend to get so wrapped up in what’s happening in this flesh-and-blood world that we forget that we are spiritual people living in an earthly body.  We are meant to connect to our spiritual Father.   We are made to marvel and praise His majesty.

I want to challenge you to “cut the lights off” around you as often as you can.  Shut out the world.  Be quiet. Sit.  Still.  Listen.  Look.  Observe.  Savor the moment in front of you.  Try your best to have time stand still.  When you do, I believe you will encounter God in ways that are real and meaningful.

How to “cut off the lights” around you?

• Turn off the car radio the next time you drive.  Be quiet.
• After dinner find a place to sit and stare at the trees and beauty of nature.  Soak in His beauty.
• Sit still in a park and observe the wild and wonderful people God has created.  Give Him praise for that.
• When mowing the yard, stop and smell the roses that are around you.  Savor His sweet fragrance.

For those of us (me included) that love TV, love football, love talking, love doing things and staying busy all the time, this may be a challenge.  If this is you, I encourage you to go to God and ASK Him to help you.  He wants you to come to Him and seek Him out.  He is waiting for you.

The lights of my neighborhood and the lights at the camp came to me in a poem…I hope it is some comfort as you navigate this loud light-filled world.