Speeding Past The Scenic Overlook

Like many of you, I’m generally right on the edge for getting to work. I sit down at my desk with little time to spare. Mornings speed by too quickly and I make a beeline to the office.

For years now, I’ve driven right past an exit marked, “scenic overlook.” I’ve never really been concerned about what I was missing, after all, there are places to go and precious little time to get there.

But one day, I was actually a early and I pulled off the side of the road for a look. And I was amazed at what I’d been speeding past. It really was amazing. The whole panoply of the horizon opened up. The rich beauty was just off the road.

The truth is, I’m far too busy to actually look at the world around me. Speeding across life, I drive by wonder.

I ignore the simple beauties of nature. I brush off the miraculous. I disregard the all-too-obvious signs of a Mighty God intervening in my everyday existence. The breakneck speed of a modern existence is not conducive to the wide-eyed wonder of the romantic or the saint in ages past.

Give me awe. Give me wonder!

Nature is resplendent with mystery: The human brain and its potential; the interrelationship of the natural world; the intricate design of the atom; the deer feeding in the meadow on a crisp morning.

The Psalmist expressed similar awe in Psalm 40.5. “You have multiplied, O Lord, your wonderful deeds and your thoughts toward us….were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be numbered.”

Unfortunately, in our media-crazed, entertainment- driven, Hollywood-effects-dazed culture, we look for the wrong things. I’m looking for fireworks. He’s showing me a candle. I’m looking for the wave. He gives the brook. I’m hoping for a loud voice. He’s speaking in a whisper.

What have I missed this day by speeding by the overlook?