Fall colors Columbia 2009
Fall colors in our front yard 2012
As I was thinking about the beauty of fall this morning at 4am (truly I would have preferred to be asleep at that time but the pregnant brain sometimes doesn’t allow for too much of that – I guess it’s prep for what’s to come…), my thoughts turned to scenes of beauty from creation that I have been able to witness over the course of my life. The pristine white sand beaches against the blue ocean of the gulf of Mexico, sea cliffs that drop off hundreds of feet dotted with waterfalls that cascade into the Pacific, coral reefs filled with the most amazing colors and creatures, sunsets painted across a desert sky with the silhouettes of mountains behind. Rivers, rolling hills, rocky mountain peaks, heck even the great sweeping plains can cause me to marvel.
A Caribbean view 2005
Sunset over the Mediterranean Sea. Greece 2004
The vast scenery of places near and far of which I have been blessed to see only happened because of the kindness and generosity of others, and primarily because of my family. My father worked a lot while my sisters and I were growing up and he made a priority of taking family vacations every year so that we could be exposed to beautiful places and make memories together as a family. I think he was taught that value from his own parents who were quite adventurous and well-traveled, and Allyn and I hope to provide similar opportunities for our children in the years to come.
But as I think about the kindness of my father and his desire to provide wonderful opportunities for me to see the world, I can’t help but think of my Heavenly Father and His kindness in not only allowing me to see such wonders, but much more so in the reality that He spoke these things into existence for my joy and His glory.
Just like the new parents that collect artwork and books and prep the nursery with beautiful things for their child, God is a Father who creates beautiful things for His children. He is the ultimate artist who paints landscapes and sunsets and blue ocean vistas not just for the joy of it, although He obviously seems to enjoy it, but also for the purpose of drawing His children to Himself. The sight of beauty should provoke in us a sense of awe and wonder, a sense of worship you could say. But how incredible is it that we can direct that wonder and worship to a loving, knowing, know-able Person! That the breathtaking scenes of fall color point us not to some random process of chance but to a God who delights in our joy and longs for us to draw near to Him. May the beauty of creation always provoke in us a love for the Creator.
The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky (and mountains, and oceans, and deserts) proclaims His handiwork.
Psalm 19:1 ESV plus Molly edition 
Grand Tetons 2009
