A Lesson For Ingratitude

I am so guilty of taking my life for granted. I live and work in a Christian community that's within a gunshot of the beach; my commute to work lasts all of 90 seconds, and consists of driving down a hill from which I can see miles and miles to the horizon overlooking the Pacific Ocean. And like the rest of the world, I often wake up tired, grumble my way through the day, complain about petty politics and inconveniences, and try to wall off a private, isolated cosmos where I am in control. My life is the epitome of ingratitude on such days - and often, God smacks me into the reality of His life with the views all around me.

Yesterday was one of those days, when I found my pathetic world stopped cold in the sheer wonder of what God had made. A sea of clouds, just barely floating on the ocean's surface, crept inland with a majestic, eerie calm. At first, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, so I decided to drive to one of the highest points on campus, grabbing my camera along the way. If I could have been present for the Spirit of God hovering over the waters in Genesis, surely it looked like this. I don't need to wax poetic to do the scene justice. The God we serve made this, and in the worship it evoked from me, I realized how often I can miss what He is creating and doing right in front of me...

Whether it is watching your kid play, or having dinner with your spouse, catching a sunset, or simply realizing who He has revealed himself to be in Christ... here's to all of us being stopped in a moment of thankful wonder this week.

(click to enlarge photo)

(tech geek info: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT, Canon 50mm f/1.8, TV:1/125, AV: 7.1, ISO 100, polarizing filter, levels adjusted with Photoshop)



(tech geek info: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT, Sigma 70-300mm [@92mm] f/4.5, TV:1/500, AV: 9.0, ISO 100, levels adjusted with Photoshop)