Lake Deaton at Home

Monday, December 6, 2021

Witness:  Steve Decker

Scripture: Job 12:7-10  

Weekly Theme: Peace

As our country faced another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to take to the road and visit our children and grandson out west this September.  The trek from New York took me across the country’s breadbasket and culminated in the Sangre de Cristo mountains in Colorado.  The round trip was nearly 4000 miles – a great deal of windshield time for sure.  

The central states of our country are sometimes referred to as the “flyover states” – a reference signaling a perspective of being relatively uninteresting to travel by road and are best seen at an airline cruising altitude.  

I’ve always been keen on adventure and viewed the long road trip with excitement.  As I headed west out of New York, my anticipation of the “movie” I would see through my windshield grew as I took in creation’s grandeur and the diversity of our nation’s countryside sculpted only in a way our Creator could divine.  

The New York topography is breathtaking with gorges, flowing hills and valleys, endless farms and vineyards, the Finger Lakes, and Great Lakes.  So many do not appreciate this beauty, thinking only of the bright lights and tall buildings of New York City.  The NY state thruway continues as I-90 down through “lakefront” views along Lake Erie, connecting into Ohio and the midwestern farmlands rich in corn and soybeans.

 I also witnessed the first brushstrokes of fall as the colors were just tickling the tree leaves, and the crops in the field were beginning to be ready for harvest – a beautiful color palette of red, green, and brown contrasting against the deep blue of an early fall sky.  I was reminded how our Earth presents this specific beauty each autumn, along with the crops that help satisfy our many daily needs.  Each mile gave me an ever-unfolding view of our country’s beauty and nature that could only be a gift from our Creator.  

Crossing the powerful rivers of the Mississippi, Des Moines, Missouri, and Platte, I made my way across the plains of Iowa, Nebraska, and the Colorado front range. I was soon to be greeted by the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains rising in the distance.  The night sky, illuminated only by the stars, showcased an amazing brilliance of the Milky Way that was painted across the sky. 

I’m reminded that too often, I am in a hurry to reach my destination or complete a task and miss the treasures our Lord created for us to enjoy along our journey. Indeed we are constantly surrounded by this beauty and humbling grandeur of our Lord’s creation in Heaven and on Earth.  

Daily Prayer:  Ever-present, Lord, we are in awe of your creation.  Let our eyes always be open to see your beauty in our lives and find comfort in the knowledge that you have provided all that we will ever need and love us beyond our ability to comprehend fully. 

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. Am I taking time in my life to fully appreciate the beauty in all of God’s creation?
2. How am I sharing this beauty with others?
3. Am I growing in my peace and confidence that our God loves us deeply and will provide all we will ever need?