Looking Up

Since we are the blessed recipients of lovely cold weather, I felt compelled to take a walk this evening. I put on my new winter coat and began to journey through my neighborhood. After walking for nearly an hour, I found that I actually began to get hot. After all, it's only about 50 degrees and a winter coat is a bit much. So I put my jacket on my driveway to lay down.

The startling thing was that the stars were actually visible. As a lifetime city-dweller, stars are a rare treat. As a looked up I saw two airplanes, a planet near the horizon, and even a satellite for a few moments. What really stood out to me was how big the sky was. The satellite, which was traveling faster than I can legally, took close to a minute and a half to traverse the sky. I was amazed that the horizon I saw actually stretched for hundreds of miles in each direction, and that was only what was visible to me at night.

Now that you are beginning to doze off, I must admit that I am not an astronomer. So why am I writing about satellites and the horizon? Simply put, I regularly behave as though I am the center of the universe and that my concerns should be everyone else's. How arrogant can I be?

Further, I've found that the more I focus on my problems and needs, the more screwed up I become. Emphasizing self does nothing but create - you guessed it - a selfish person. Not only do I become selfish, but my entire view of reality becomes distorted.

Suppressing knowledge of the Lord quickly leads to darkness and depravity. When we deny the light or fail to live in its glow, how can we be surprised when our lives are darkness? I think this was on Paul's mind when he wrote some Christians in Rome:

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened." - Romans 1:21

When I fail to look up and acknowledge God as Creator, as the Father of Lights, I am little more than a fool. My heart is darkened, my mind becomes foolish, and my practice becomes evil. Sometimes we need to look up and appreciate the majesty of God. His brilliance is clearly on display in creation. Too often I am obsessed with my own goals and acclaim. Cold winter walks remind me that God deserves honor and I dare not withhold it. Failure to look up is not an excuse.