Family Road Trip

My family absolutely loves summer road trips. We recently had the opportunity to cover quite a bit of ground as we visited our nation’s capital, some historical sites, and several touristy areas. While I enjoyed the many cities and manmade sites we saw, my heart longs to be in nature to observe God’s beautiful creation. Therefore, the highlight of the trip for me was our last day as we explored New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia.

New River Gorge is America’s newest national park, and it is stunningly gorgeous. My crew enjoyed hiking along the Endless Wall Trail that led us to a lookout where we had the opportunity to read and discuss Psalm 19 together. Here are the opening verses:

“The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2).

As Jennie Allen says, “Beauty interrupts us, it awakens us, it undoes us, it cuts us open, and restarts our hearts.” The astounding beauty of nature brings me to my knees and puts everything into perspective. God made the world and everything in it to declare his glory, and he gave us our five senses so that we can richly enjoy the beautiful works of his hands and worship him in adoration.

One important aspect of creation that we need to remember is the special way in which God created humans. Out of all the beautiful things he created, he made us for the most beautiful purpose. He made us to be a dwelling place for himself. No other part of creation has that privilege. God made us, and he wants to be with us. Let that sink in. The Creator of the universe wants to be with us.

Go outside and look at the sky above. It proclaims God’s handiwork both day and night. The beauty of creation is a gift. Soak it up, and let it remind you that you are loved. God wants to be with you.

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I came across this beautiful song today, and it is worth your time. I promise.