Two travellers unknown to one another meet on the top of the hill which overlooks a stunning vista of wildflower fields and a clear blue sky. Birds are singing everywhere. The summer breeze touches their faces cooling them down from their long trek. One traveller takes a sip of water while he looks around unable to settle, as the other sits in quiet contemplation. After a few minutes of rustling about quite agitated, the first traveller says....
"For years I have been seaching for God. I walked across the dessert, stood along the shore of the vast ocean, sat in the silence of the cathedral. I have spent time in the heart of the city and along the fields of the countryside. "
The other traveller, enjoying the spectacular sunset where shafts of light are filtering up above the horizon, replies, "did you find Him?"
To this the first traveller replies with a note of frustration......"No I havent. Have you?"
All at once, hundreds of birds lift up from the surrounding trees and a family of deer peak out from the edge of the forest. But the first traveller had already walked on too busy with his search, disappointed once again that he had not found what he was looking for. The other traveller continued to sit on the top of the hill looking at the sun setting below the horizon until the sky filled with millions of stars scattered across the midnight blue canvas. He smiled with a contented sigh.
Sometimes we are so busy looking for, when all we need to do is look.
"For years I have been seaching for God. I walked across the dessert, stood along the shore of the vast ocean, sat in the silence of the cathedral. I have spent time in the heart of the city and along the fields of the countryside. "
The other traveller, enjoying the spectacular sunset where shafts of light are filtering up above the horizon, replies, "did you find Him?"
To this the first traveller replies with a note of frustration......"No I havent. Have you?"
All at once, hundreds of birds lift up from the surrounding trees and a family of deer peak out from the edge of the forest. But the first traveller had already walked on too busy with his search, disappointed once again that he had not found what he was looking for. The other traveller continued to sit on the top of the hill looking at the sun setting below the horizon until the sky filled with millions of stars scattered across the midnight blue canvas. He smiled with a contented sigh.
Sometimes we are so busy looking for, when all we need to do is look.
7 comments:
'time to stop and stare' comes to mind :) how true
I once read a Bible scholar who was a big fan of the Reformation and John Calvin lament the fact that in all of Calvin's writings there is not one mention of his interaction with the beauty of his surroundings. He goes on to ponder just what a different course the shape of Reformation ideas might have taken if he had occasionally taken his nose out of the Sacred Book and looked up at the Alps reflected in the lakes that surrounded him.
katie. we tend to get in the way of ourselves more than we appreciate don't we? Its like looking for one's glas ses only to find them perched on top of your head.
Tim....I think he was right. The mystery is all around us. I find that often with academia.....sometimes what is studied isn't felt at a visceral level. Life is messy and beautiful. God is found amongst it all. We need to revisit our understanding of the lines.......
I was blind, but now i see......
amazing grace will alight if we're open to it.
it ain't in a book.....even if its a good one. :)
I really like your blog --- it is a treat for my eyes and a warm touch for my soul. I now have you in my list of favorites to enhance my daily "awareness".
Barb...thank you. This blog is a hodge podge of thoughts from a wandering stumbler.......whatever happens to flit through my head and stays a little longer than other thoughts is captured here. one never knows where my thoughts will take me, which is how i like it. I should entitle it randomness. :)
thank you for your kind words.
It is so sad that sometimes we miss what is right in front of our eyes cause we're too busy focusing on some task or goal.
kamsin.......it's so true and unfortunately those kind of days outnumber the ones we slow down for.
So often i read on blogs about the search for God......and the questions........is there a God? Does God exist? Why won't He give me a sign etc......
And I'm thinking......perhaps we look too hard. His beautiful work is all around us.
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