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 Yellowstone

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A trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons can cause one to ponder the intricacy and beauty of God’s creativity.  The underground plumbing system that creates geysers, the minerals and bacteria that paint the basins, the seemingly short distance between ice capped mountains and boiling mud pots.  Man has created many beautiful sculptures, but none as striking as the canyons, or a mountain range which sits in the background of a still lake. Then there is the wonder of the wildlife, from the fox who feeds on the chipmunk, to the mighty buffalo who sustains himself on vegetation, to the bear, who can make a meal of berries or fish.  None of them, waking in the morning knowing just where they will find the next meal, but most, in the rich land of Yellowstone, with reason to believe they will find it. 

 

We who visit this park are as diverse as the park itself, yet we all wonder of its wonder, and we all worry...about something.  It is difficult for us, to a greater or lesser extent, to trust the One who orchestrates this park, to orchestrate our lives, which seem as complex as the underground plumbing system of the geysers at times.  One thing the Rangers will tell you about Yellowstone, is that it is always changing. Yet for years, wonder and beauty have remained. And while it is true that much of the wonder remains because it is protected by the park services, the main thing thing the park needs protection against, is us.  

I wonder if in some ways it would do us good to meddle less in our own lives.  To follow the known will of God by displaying the attributes He invites us to put on, and let Him work out the details of where we will sit to have our next meal.  I wonder if we can’t learn from the twisted tree I saw while hiking in Yellowstone. It grew vertical, then horizontal, then vertical again. The thing about the tree is, when something caused it to change directions, it kept growing.  If I were a tree I would not like growing horizontally. That is not how trees are supposed to grow. But this crooked tree, of all the thousands of trees that are in the park, is one of two that I actually stopped to look at. Perhaps because I find it so hard to change directions, especially when it means life gets uncomfortable for a while.  

 

Do we wonder of the wonder that God is creating something better than the here and now, in us and for us?  Do we trust Him through the changes (comfortable or uncomfortable) that come our way? And as the chipmunk died for the fox, do we praise Him for the everlasting provision of life He has given through the death of His own Son?"

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You do not have to take a trip to Yellowstone to find wonder.  And it is not in Yellowstone, but in your soul, where you will find rest in the Sovereignty of God.  May we welcome the grace to grow wherever He leads, and know that if one of those places happens to be Yellowstone, you are in for a real treat!

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"How great are your works, O LORD!  Your thoughts are very deep!"  Psalm 92:5 (ESV)

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