When we sit along Kauai’s south shore with vacationers from all over the world, gathering night after night to enjoy the beauty of sunset, I know why everyone is there. We love the beauty of the changing sunset colors; we delight to watch the sea turtles come ashore to rest. It’s mesmerizing. Simply gorgeous. For my husband and me, it’s also holy.
I’ve been on a journey these past two years. I’ve found new ways to pray as I’ve come to understand more about the theology of our Creator, his creation, and how joy, beauty, and light are gifts our Creator God gives to us. I’ll be sharing my journey on my blog. I hope you’ll walk with me and discover new ways to pray.
I’ve come to understand God longs for us to look beyond joy and beauty to see him, our Savior, the Giver of all good gifts.
I have found that when my mind cannot engage with the Bible or come up with words to pray, I can still pray with joy in my heart. I now know how to let joy and beauty lead me to Jesus.
One beautiful morning, Henry Van Dyke (1907) was staying with the president of Williams College where he had been invited to preach. Van Dyke was an ordained Presbyterian minister but served most of his career (1899-1922) as a professor of English literature at Princeton University. Many concerns in the news troubled them during those bleak days before World War I. Moved by the beauty of the Berkshire Mountains, joy broke through. Van Dyke was inspired to write.
©Copyright 2024 Luann Budd / Journal Keeping
Photography by Luann Budd
