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| Wisconsin bluffs along the Mississippi River |
These are the hills
to which I literally
have lifted up
my squinty, green eyes
over the years and asked, "Where will my help come from?"
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| sand dunes at Silver Lake in Michigan |
And these are the still waters
to which I have returned again and again to find rest.
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| Sand Lake, near Grant, Michigan |
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| Lake Michigan, Oceana County beach |
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| Little Point Sable Lighthouse, Oceana County, Michigan |
It’s the earth’s purpose to serve God this way.
But I wonder if a metaphor still stands strong if its reality-check leg has become dislodged. Surely, we need to "take our place," into our reading, into our prayers.
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| sailing on Lake Michigan with an approaching storm |
A Story
Sometime, after we arrived in Minnesota, my young daughter asked,
"Mom, how do the people here know what size they are?"
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"Well, you know, like, at home, when we go to Lake Michigan and sit on the beach, we can look out so far that know we are not very big compared to God. But then, the sand that sticks to your hands is made up of lots of the tiniest stones. And you know you're bigger than they are. How do Minnesotans know what size they are?"
I was still thinking when she came up with her own answer.
"I guess it's the wind."
Now that we've been here a while, I'd probably add, "And sometimes the frigid cold or the blistering heat. And, certainly, long prairie views. And sitting on the edge of any one of ten-thousand lakes-full of water."
The heavens declare the glory of God
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4
Much Grace,
Pastor Shirley
