"All things were made by Him, and nothing was made without Him." —John 1:3
Sometimes, I forget to appreciate all that God has given to us. It's easy to get caught up in the minutiae of daily living and forget that He is at work all the time. We may not recognize God's visible and invisible work due to the worldly concerns and activities that press in on us. All things, living and inanimate, are here on earth by His design. God's abundant and everlasting love for each one of us on earth encompasses everything.
Ever since the creation of the world God's eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood throughout the things God has made. —Romans 1:20
I am reminded of this beautiful world He created in many ways. One is a song that became one of my favorites years ago. It was early evening on a dark, wet, cold Seattle winter day in 1988. I found myself trying to calm our firstborn. She was a quiet and calm baby but for some reason needed a little rocking and walking that evening. Daddy was on-call so it was just her and me. I put on some music as I walked to comfort her. I was cuddling her in my arms as we walked and moved around the living room when Louis Armstrong's version of "What a Wonderful World" played.
Now, every time I hear this song, in whatever arrangement, I tear up with happy, sentimental tears, remembering my little baby (and the three to follow) and knowing that she would grow up fast. In fact, she's almost 38 years old now! The moment is etched in my mind. I looked down on her and Louis sang:
I hear babies cry I watch them grow They'll learn much more Than I'll ever know And I think to myself What a wonderful world. —Louis Armstrong
The other three verses are also short and sweet in looking at the natural beauty and interactions found in God's creation. It looks at the blessings of: "trees of green, red roses too...skies of blue and clouds of white...the bright blessed day, the dark sacred night...colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky...friends shaking hands, saying how do you do, They're really saying I love you."
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world!
As we travel through this life, we need to cling to God, His beauty and His love. Nothing can separate us from His Love. We all go through times and events that try to disrupt our relationship with God. Remember all those who have gone before us and the many trials, personal and global, through which they persevered. Our journey in this life is our chance to grow in relationship and love with God. When we take time to sit in stillness with God, it allows us to become closer to Him and helps us appreciate all the good in His wonderful world.
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. —Colossians 1:16-17
In His Love,
Paisia (Dana)
Originally published in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.
