If You Think That’s Beautiful…

I love the Smoky Mountains.  These mountains have a special beauty.  Last summer, we spent several days there.  I have been to these mountains many times.  Not once, however, have I ever seen all of the Smoky Mountains at one moment in time.  I only see a part.  Seeing a part of these mountains reminds me that there is still more I haven’t seen.

 

Sometimes I see God in much the same way.  I reflect upon God after seeing him in the Scriptures.  Maybe I read that day another one of those incredible stories of God’s faithfulness to his people in spite of some "impossible" obstacle.  Or, maybe I read a psalm that described the beauty of God in very poetic language.   Regardless, beauty has a way of creating in my soul (and I suspect yours) a longing for more.  In fact, beauty has a way of calling forth "worship" (in the best sense of that word).

• We worship what
  we believe to be beautiful.
• Worship is our response to what we value and treasure most. 
• Worship is about recognizing God’s beauty and treasuring Him. 
• Worship is a total life response to God.
• Worship is about all of life — seven days a week.
  

 

Worship causes us to see time passed as “opportunity gained” (Larry Crabb, Conversations, Vol. 2:2, Fall
2004, p. 17).

… the time of opportunity gained never passes.  And if we see it and seize it, we become
pilgrims who soar like eagles, who run to the finish line, who walk in the
company of saints, and who, having done it all, stand in the limitless power of
God, in the middle of the divine community.

 
Imagine growing old where you
have all losses and no gain.  Your hair turns gray, white, or comes out completely.  Your body gets feeble.  You have ailments.  Some body parts may need surgical repair or
even replacement.  Meanwhile you continue
to grow even older.  Then you die. 

 
Now contrast that kind of
aging with what Larry Crabb says regarding his father.  When his father was approaching 80, he told a
large group,

Some pleasures, like combing my hair, are lost.  But like seasoned sailors who smell land
before they see it, I am catching a whiff of heaven.  And I know the best is yet to come (Crabb, p. 17).

The best is yet to come?  Yes! 
Now that is how a person was intended to age.  Believing that there is something more.  We were always meant to age — to live on this earth — with an eye on the future.  By faith, we believe that the best is not behind us or even what we are experiencing in the present.  The best is yet to come!              .

 

We are tempted to settle for
so little.  During the week, we are
tempted to get very focused on trivia -– things that really don’t matter.  Trivial things happen and we get really worked up
about them. 

 

Worshiping God is our constant reminder that there
is so much more to life than what happened today.  Worship is our constant reminder that the
best is yet to come.

 

So what has been helpful to you?  What has been helpful so that you don’t get bogged down in the past (either through sentiment or regret)?  What has been helpful to you so that you do not define your life simply by your present circumstances?  If you get stuck are you more likely to get stuck in the past or in your present situation in life?