In Awe of Beauty

I have seen the beauty of God's creation so much lately. I cannot deny how amazing it is. A couple of weeks ago, 11 days to be exact, I was walking to staff prayer from my cabin. It was a nice late 5:30 in the AM. Slightly earlier acutally, because if it was indeed 5:30 (or any time after for that matter) I would have been late. But the beauty that lay before me was the moon. The sun was just beginning to creep over the mountains and the moon hung there right in front of me, almost, if not, full. The pinks were just beginning to bleed across the sky. I wanted to enjoy it all, but time did not allow for anything except a passing thought, a quick pause in my step, and silence. Then on down the steps I had to go. I don't want to forget that beauty. How amazing our God is.

"I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing to my God while I have being.
My my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.
-Psalm 104:33-34

-From a journal entry, 7/23/06

The Half-Way Point

Weeks two through five are now over. The first session crew is gone. ADA Week has passed. As I look back and reflect upon the first part of camp, it seems as if it has absolutely flown by. (I forget if I journaled about this, because I can't find it, but it is a good way to think of life.) We are all on a journey in life, and that journey is like a car ride. In the mirrors you can see what is behind you, where you have been, but are no longer; esstentially you see the past. In front of you, lies the future. What is to come. Your destiny. And while it is good to remember your past, it does not define your future. It merely reflects how you came to your present situation. And so far this summer, I have handled some things correctly, and well, others not so correctly. And just because I might have hypothetically handled a situation badly with a camper, does not mean that I have to do so in these next five weeks. Every new day seems like a new start. A chance perhaps to redeem myself for the mistakes past.

"When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?"
-Pslam 56:3-4

-From a journal entry, 7/10/06

Streams of Thought

Begin to know him now, and finish never.

That is what started off my morning. Where it even possible for God to have an end, we could never know it. Most everyone in life has begun to know Him on some level. Maybe we have just heard the name or maybe we have been getting to know Him for years. Whatever the case, there is always more to glean. And it seems the more we learn about Him, the more we realize just how little we know. But do we stop and get discouraged? Heaven forbid it ever happen!

I was reading in Psalm TwentySeven this morning and several things jumped out at me as if to say, hey, I'm intended for you to know this today. There is one thing that I have asked of the Lord that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life. What a thought, to dwell with God, live with God, just be with God all of my life. I want that, I really do. I earnestly seek after it. But the amazing thing is, it doesn't end there. Not only do we get to live in the house of the LORD, but we get to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD.

-From a journal entry, 5/27/06

huzzah

It is here. twothousandsix. A year that has previously been unknown. And now, I am eager to see what it will bring me. So arise, and meet what is coming.

For Gracie...

You have never been given to things of this
world. You have
always strived for something greater. Something
that as a human, we can never
fully obtain. Something we
will not
fully understand until
we
pass from this life into
the next. But still, that
doesn't stop you from wanting more. You
have tasted
of heaven. You
have seen it and
you know
that the things of this world
pale in comparison to what the next has to
offer you. And
I just about cry
when I think of you. Why am
I mean to you? Why do I put you
down? Why can't I just build you up like I
should? Like
I'm called to do? Is it so
hard? You have grown into such
an amazing woman
of God, and
there are no combination
of letters and phrases that can
be put together to convey that to
you. But I have
tried to let you know that
I love you. That I care
for you. Perhaps
that is the problem. I try instead of
doing. I should care for you. I should
love you. And I do. I hope
I get better at
it as we get older. As you walk this
life, know that I am here
for you my lovely sister. If I can, I will
help you. Just call
on me. And most importantly, keep
that focus that you have. Keep
that driving vision. That hunger. For God
and the will he has for
your life. Give it all to him and in
the end, you will realize that though
life is hard, it's all worth
it in the end.