We traveled for two days going over 1,100 miles, through eight different states and crossed the Mississippi River four times! Each stop along the way, we talked about how things looked different depending on what state we were in. The road looked different; the trees looked different; even the sky looked different!
I was profoundly moved when we came over the rise of a hill in Missouri and saw the green valley below us. I was amazed at all the fields and farms when we drove through Arkansas. And I was breathless over just how verdant and green the rolling cornfields were in Iowa. It wasn’t that I didn’t know these places existed. I was just unprepared for how much I could feel the presence of God in each and every vista.
I guess what I want to note is that so often we take our surroundings for granted. We pass by the miracle of creation without a moment’s hesitation or some pause to appreciate God’s wonderful work. But on this trip… I noticed!
This message is adapted from “God surrounds us,” written by Jennifer Michael, for the Women of the ELCA blog, on July 22, 2013. Jennifer wrote about driving from her home in Pensacola, Florida, to begin seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. Today we remember the apostles Simon and Jude.
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