The Goal

A smoky sunset at the high school soccer field.

One of the best retreats I ever experienced wasn’t the planned events of the retreat itself. It was walking deep into the woods of the White Mountains on a mild and breezy fall afternoon, the leaves just beginning to change to hues of yellow, orange and red, and a bubbling stream following each bend of the path. It was here, hours before the actual retreat, that “church” happened. It was here where I had been weary and dry as a bone and found renewed purpose and vision. It was here where I pulled out my bible app and turned to a familiar passage, and read fearlessly aloud because there was no one in sight, and where I felt what seemed to be every word jumping off the page and into the depths of my soul: 

“One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord—in His presence—all the days of my life,

To gaze upon the beauty, the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur, of the Lord…”

—Psalm 27:4

 

And I just knew. That’s it! That’s the goal.

In writing, in speaking or singing, and especially in photography, I knew that I knew that afternoon in the woods that the goal of my life was not retreat but advance—to gaze upon and then point to the beauty of the Lord that’s all around us “all the days of my life.”

And then get out of the way.

Yes, there is surely darkness and ugliness.

The goal is not denial.

But the goal is built on a promise that trumps all ugliness:

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered, defeated or understood it.”(John 1:5)

Never has, never will.

Keep sharing that.

Keep gazing upon that truth.

Because the Psalmist realizes that this is no pie-in-the-sky, dreamy goal. Because he knows that gazing on the beauty of the Lord all the days of his life will always give him the right perspective when the world is turned upside down.

Me, too:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the refuge and fortress of my life—

Whom shall I dread?...

…For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;

In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;

He will lift me up on a rock.”

 

And so, whenever I look through a camera lens, whenever I remember through a photo, or through words or song how big and beautiful my God truly is, “the things of earth grow strangely dim in the Light of His glory and grace.”

Always.

That’s the goal, anyway.

 

“Living becomes an awesome business when you realize that you spend every moment of your life in the sight and company of an omniscient, omnipresent Creator.”—J.I. Packer

Sunrise along the Maine coast.

Walking in Peace

A late fall afternoon along the Wapack Trail.

When having "one of those days" or "one of those weeks"
When answers to prayer don't seem to be happening fast enough
Or the way you had hoped

When you are forced to slow down when you'd rather go fast...

And even on those days and weeks when all is right and good

When it's easy to trust in your own wits

When it's too easy to say, "I've got this"...
It is always wise, and never crazy, to talk to yourself

About two simple things:

"Put your hope in the LORD.

Travel steadily along His path."

- Psalm 37:34, NLT

This, too, is worship.

"The soul that loves God has its rest in God and God alone. In all the paths that men walk in the world, they do not attain peace until they draw nigh to hope in God." 

- Isaac of Ninevah, early Church mystic

Questions of Life

Along North Beach, Ogunquit, Maine

When I took this photo a week ago, I had not finished my walk along the beach. It was a pause,  a spot in the sand, a milestone—looking back to where I had started but looking forward to what was ahead. The footsteps in the sand belonged to someone else on a journey, but they reminded me of a memorable observation while trudging through snow on a trail several winters ago: "Just remember, you often won't realize you're making progress on this Journey until you pause to look back at how far you've come.”

Perhaps it was memorable because I often find myself pausing along this Journey of faith and asking myself this...

“Am I living this life right? Is anything out of balance? ‘In the world but not of it’ can be a delicate dance—but a joyful one, too. How am I doing?”

In looking back at some of the analytics for this blog since it began in 2014, it was interesting to see that I have not been alone— the ones that have hit home the most with readers have had a similar theme. This week marks a year’s worth (366) of Vitamins, and over the years, I have learned that they have been read by people who are all over the “walk with God” scale, including some who would admit that they are not. Welcome! Some have pressed “like” because of the photo, and that’s fine if it drew them in to consider some wonderful words of Life. Whatever it takes. Some readers are from places like Poland and Brazil, but most are those I know well or even casually right here at home. Many are not church-goers. Perfect. 

But everyone, made in the image of God, seems to have this inner yearning to “live this life right.” The top 10 most-read Vitamins (listed below) seemed to resonate with readers on “am I living this life right?” questions like:

How do I keep praying when the answer hasn’t come yet?

How do I cultivate a healthy attitude when the world around me has gone nuts?

How can I know that my little life matters to God, or to anyone else for that matter?

How can I practically follow God without being “religious”?

How can I see God in the people and situations I encounter every day?

How do I develop a positive and contagious character and lifestyle?

How do I keep going when I’d rather quit?

How do I keep going when everything, including God, seems to be in a fog at the moment?

How do I slow down once in awhile and breathe in what truly matters?

How am I doing with pursuing meaningful friendships and relationships?

Great questions. Important questions. And it is good to know that no matter where we are in our faith Journey, God is still Emmanuel—God with us, all the way, whenever we ask those questions. And His invitation to seek Him has no expiration date. Best of all, God's wonderful Words of life have tons of measuring sticks we can use for all of those questions of life when they arise—including a prayer we can regularly make our own that the apostle Paul prayed for some ancient believers on a similar journey as ours:

“…That you may see things, as it were, from His point of view by being given spiritual insight and understanding [spending time with Him]…that your outward lives, which men see, may bring credit to your Master’s name, and that you may bring joy to His heart by bearing genuine fruit, and that your knowledge of God may grow yet deeper.”—Colossians 1:10, Phillips New Testament

 

So be it, Lord. Wherever we may be on the Journey, let us keep going…

For some of our most important "am I living this life right?" questions, here's some encouragement from the most-read Vitamins since 2014, in order of popularity ...

1. THE POWER OF A THREE-LETTER WORD  - March 21, 2021
2. THE RIGHT TRAIN OF THOUGHT - May 7, 2017
3. WHERE FORGOTTEN DOESN’T EXIST  - May 12, 2019
4. GET YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS  - May 22, 2016
5. SEEING GOD DOWNTOWN - May 12, 2019
6. GOOD TOOLS HANDED DOWN  - June 7, 2018
7. PAVED WITH GOODNESS - April 11, 2021
8. FOG CHASER - October 15, 2017
9. REMEMBERING THE FIVE-MINUTE RULE - July 23, 2017
10. INNER CIRCLE JOY - April 25, 2021

Look Up and Live

Right after sunrise, coast of Maine.

"I see the world in light, I see the world in wonder

I see the world in life, bursting in living color

I see the world Your way, and I'm walking in the Light."

("Wonder," by Joel Houston, Matt Crocker, and Brooke Fraser)

What is it about standing at the ocean’s shore and never being bored by looking out onto the vast expanse and standing in refreshing awe? Is it the crash of the waves, the cleansing aroma?

What is it about looking up at the stars on a clear night and becoming frozen in your tracks with a stiff neck and dropped jaw? Is it the stars? The moon?

What is it about getting to the top of a favorite mountain peak and staring out onto the same view time after time after time and yet feeling your eyes lock in on the wonder? Is it the distant hills, the colorful nearby trees, or the masterpiece that they paint when they are together?

It might be all of that and more, but it might be one thing more that tops them all: The sky. When we look Up, we get the right perspective...

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

    The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak;

    night after night they make him known.

They speak without a sound or word;

    their voice is never heard.

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

    and their words to all the world.

—Psalm 19:1-4, NLT

The skies, the heavens, are forever speaking in expanse, in color, in wonder—all of it reflecting the glory of God on the familiar, on what we see every day or in our favorite places. The lighting, and the time of day of that lighting, the angle through clouds or mist, all send new, jaw-dropping messages that the Creator of the universe loves painting awesome pictures day and night, and no two ever, ever look the same!

And He does so especially to remind us how He lovingly and enthusiastically created each one of us, too, and that like the patterns in the heavens, all are unique and fearfully and wonderfully made: "...we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)

And He does so to capture our hearts and attention once again, to “take the world but give me Jesus,” to see all that is good and beautiful and amazing and nothing-is-impossible comes from His Word and hand.

And He does so (in the very same Psalm) to daily remind each of His children that we, too, are created to be reflectors and messengers with pictures of goodness to carry into the store, the backyard barbecue, even the potentially contentious meeting...

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to You,

O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

—Psalm 19:14

Maybe not all, but a lot of our life’s mission in this Great Adventure hinges on these prayer words of Psalm 19. Keep looking Up....Selah

[Originally published March 2018]