Or "Picture Perfect Places"
It was after work and Paul and I were headed to the gym. I was pushing buttons on my phone when I heard Paul let out a long breath.
"Isn't that amazing," he said, " the beauty of God's creation. Look at that sky to the left."
I looked up from my phone and saw what he was nodding to. There before us, in the bluest of skies, was several large billowing clouds. They were piled high atop each other like a majestic altar of glory. Piercing through the center of the clouds were pure rays of light that refused to be hidden, but reached from the heavens on high to shine down upon us on earth.
I took in this magnificent stage set up for man's eyes to delight in…and immediately I wanted to puke. The scene was perfect. Almost a little too perfect. The scene reminded me of these small cards we used to pass out at my high school. Each card had a bible verse and inspirational messages on one side, and on the other were these amazing scenes of mountains, beaches, and forests. Each picture was meant to showcase the finest beauty of God . It was like God having all of these incredible photo ops and someone just happened to come across God at the right time with the right lighting. Thinking about it now, it sort of bothered me. Did God ever have a bad hair day in those pics?
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a weekly feeding program for people who needed it. As I walked through the door my friend was quick to give me a warning. "Just so you know, " she said , "this place can get extremely hot, we get very sweaty, and not everybody who comes in smells the greatest." I stared at her for a moment. " I am just telling you that up front," she continued, "I feel obligated to tell everyone on their first day just so that they know what they are getting into."
The night continued on and I could see why she felt the need to warn me. The air felt barely one degree cooler than the summer air outside. The crowd was mixed, children without shoes sat with their parents, while next to them an older women sat talking to an invisible crowd. Some of the people coming in looked like they had just finished a brown bag beverage before stumbling in, while others were calm and patient, appreciative to be there. The dining area was small and mismatched tables were placed together covered with cheap plastic table cloths. Drinks were served in Styrofoam cups, and the food was a hodgepodge of items. The menu was made solely out of food that was donated that week. It was a beautiful sight.
Sometime during the fast paced serving, between putting bread rolls on a plate and doling out a scoop of salad, I noticed a sense of pervading peace and order in this place that I had failed to find elsewhere on my spiritual journey. Just being there, witnessing the entire program in motion really made me excited again. The patience and acceptance of the volunteers was inspiring. They never know who was coming to eat that day, or how many, or what condition they would be in. The idea that the program runs on no set amount of volunteers was incredible. If only two people show up to help serve fifty people, then two people will do it. If twenty people show up, then even better. Either way the food goes on, week after week, day after day. If ever there was a picture worthy of a small card, this was it. To me, it seems that God is a lot more visible in places other than beaches, lighthouses or forest clearings. I mean, I know that he likes to leave footprints up and down the coast, but it seems that the times I catch glimpses are usually not as glamorous as those recorded by others. I wish that I could send pictures to the card inspirational people and offer up a different line up for finding faith in the 2009.
If only I had my camera.
NOTE: This is actually an older post from 2008, but I wanted to include it because Bettina always laughed when she read Paul's first line in the story. She must have repeated it ten times and laughed each time. I can still hear that laugh and it makes me smile. She always wanted me to write more and wanted the best for every person she came across. Some of the posts may come out of order but I will try to keep them as chronological as possible so that they make sense.
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