It is interesting to me that every night people gather at the lake to look out and watch the sun go down. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, if it’s cloudy, or even stormy. They still show up at the beach, and gather like droids. I know, because I’ve done it.
People line the beach with their lawn chairs, cameras, and video recorders. They sit in the sand or just stand and stare as this orangey red ball slowly sinks below the horizon.
They’re mesmerized by a sight that happens every day.
It’s the same thing, you know – the sun always goes down. You can count on it; it never does anything different. It doesn’t’ go back a bit or stop and leave everyone in suspense like it did in the Bible once. No, it does the same thing every night: it goes down and drops below the horizon. Yet people come every night to see it happen, almost as if it wouldn’t happen if they didn’t come.
People don’t just do this at Sauble Beach (though it is pretty phenomenal there). People do it everywhere, by oceans, lakes, mountains, even on cruise ships. People stop and just watch, sometimes in silence, gazing at the sight.
The thing that is different, the thing that keeps people coming back each night is the sky. On a clear night with no clouds, the sky is colourful. But when you add a little bit of cloud – wow! – the sun does an amazing job of painting the sky in incredible colours and shades. It’s like there’s a new canvas every night.
I personally have probably over a hundred pictures of sunsets at Sauble Beach. I’ll take several every time because the colours, and the painting created on the canvas of the sky, changes moment by moment. Even though there is a new picture every night, for some reason I, and many others, feel the need to capture the one we’re looking at so we can view it again and again.
Some people don’t care about capturing it. They just take it in, are fascinated by the sky and then satisfied that it will be different and just as spectacular the next night. Some people dream as they stare at it, while others get all romantic and want to hold hands (Lily). Some linger and others turn and walk away, occasionally looking over their shoulder towards the sky and horizon.
Here’s the thing: Every day we have opportunities to gaze upon what God has created, and appreciate it, think about it, dwell on it and acknowledge where it came from. But how often do we take a moment to go beyond the beauty that we see to give a nod to God for it, to respond to Him for the million dollar painting before our eyes? After all, the painter is the one with all the talent; the painting is just his creation. I want to be a little more responsive to God and His paintings from now on.
Until Next Time!
Pastor Paul
Question: What grabs your attention, causing you to acknowledge God’s creativity in the world? Leave your comment below.
