Finding Awe in the Christian Journey
This past December, I checked an item off my bucket list. I visited Yosemite National Park and walked among the Sequoia trees. Words cannot describe adequately the splendor, scale, and majesty of the views. It truly is cinematic and overwhelming. One must-do is the long drive into the park. After about an hour of driving through winding roads, you appreciate the beauty of the deep valleys and tree-covered mountains. I will confess that after about an hour of driving, I began to become bored. It was beautiful but not all that different from what I felt when driving through other mountain ranges, but it soon all changed.
The mountain road leads into a long tunnel, and as you exit the tunnel, you are blown away by the stunning change of scenery. It is as if you enter the tunnel in a normal American mountain range and then exit the tunnel into something that looks like a Lord of the Rings set. I literally screamed out loud in the car all by myself.
This majestic surprise is somewhat descriptive of the Christian journey. Paul urges us in Philippians 3:12-16 to never feel like we have arrived and to continually press on toward the prize. Why? Because as we pursue Christ we will enter and exit tunnels and be in awe of His splendor and majesty. There may be seasons that feel familiar and predictable, but every now and then, He will lead us into new territory where awe and wonder are the only appropriate and worshipful responses.
He is bigger than our wildest dreams and leads us daily into uncharted water. Remain faithful during the seasons that feel predictable. Worship Him in the mundane through discipline and worship Him in the surprises of His grace.
