I took this photo in Montana, minutes before the start of the Bozeman marathon. One thing I have learned about running marathons is that as a marathon approaches, life gets simpler. There are things I do to help prepare for the marathon and things I avoid doing.
And so it is in dealing with this pandemic. In some ways, life is simpler. There are things we are doing to stay well and things we avoid doing.
Seeing God in all things does not literally mean I think God looks like these flowers. I read a reflection last weekend (www.americamagazine.org) that suggested adding the word laboring: God laboring in all things. I don’t use the word “laboring” often, but I like the idea of seeing God in action. I see God providing beauty through these flowers. In an even larger way, I see God providing love and kindness through the actions of so many people reaching out to family, friends, neighbors and strangers in need right now.
This photo is from our trip to Glacier NP 3 years ago. This was on the Ptarmigan trail. Like most hikers, we were willing to follow the trail with only a vague idea of where it was heading. This particular trail heads to a tunnel which you cannot see until you are practically just a few yards from it. Despite not being able to see exactly where the tunnel was, we were confident we would make it to the other side of the ridge.
And so it is with our walk with God. We need to trust that the “tunnels“ will be exactly where we need them.
This is a photo of Bear Lake, which suits on the Utah/Idaho border. The drive there from Salt Lake City is very scenic but full of twists and turns. I remember coming around a corner and seeing the lake. It was a cloudless day (two days before this photo was taken) and it was striking how blue the water looked.
It makes me wonder what reaction the Israelites had when they first saw the promised land, a land “flowing with milk and honey.” God’s goodness is hard to fully appreciate!
This photo was taken a year ago on Antigua during our cruise in the Caribbean. What a difference a year makes! We had reservations for a cruise to Alaska this July. The cruise has already been canceled by the cruise line. It is difficult to imagine when the cruise industry will recover from this.
There is One who is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.
One of the things I enjoy about an early morning run is the solitude. Nothing like a little time alone to sort through all that is going on the world/my life.
My idea of prayer has changed considerably through the years of my life. I used to think of prayer as talking to God. Now my prayer time is a little less talking and a lot more listening. Early morning runs are definitely prayer time.
The sun will come up (tomorrow)
It is very easy to focus on all the pain and suffering in our world right now. And to think that God’s blessings are something we should only be looking for in the future. But that would overlook God’s blessings that we are currently experiencing. Such as the treatments being provided in hospitals. The thousands of deaths being prevented through social distancing. Or the loving and generous acts of so many who are the “hands and feet” of God.
My run this morning was a wonderful reminder of God’s presence all around me. May you also recognize God’s presence with you today.
Stairway (to heaven)
