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.
God keeps us as the apple of his eye, right in the center of his vision. Imagine the scene after Jesus had been taken into custody: Peter follows at a distance, sits down with people around a fire in the courtyard. His face glows in the light of the fire. A servant girl recognizes him. She leans closer, looking at him. Peter feels her stare. She makes her accusation: “This man was with him.”
Moses begins his psalm, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations..." Moses did not say that he lived in the palace in Egypt, nor the backcountry of Arabia, nor the desert and crags of Sinai, but the Lord was his dwelling place. It seems that if I could learn a little bit about what it means to dwell with the Lord, then I wouldn't get so tossed about in the turbulence of life.
©Copyright 2024 Luann Budd / Journal Keeping
Photography by Luann Budd
