For the last ten days we’ve been in the camper, most of the time sitting at the end of a powdery-dirt road in the middle of the forest. Except for rare occasions when we were on the four-wheelers at the top of the mountain and we took a minute to check emails (mostly spam) and read the headlines (nothing new, same old ugliness), we’ve been without cell service and free of society, unmarred by the distractions of the outside world. It has been wonderful to be able to turn off the noise of the World.
Out there in the forest God’s voice is easy to hear. Thunder echoes against the pine-filled canyons and the wind hums through needles and makes the two-toned aspen leaves sparkle. The hollow rapping of a woodpecker resonates while squirrels scold and larks call. God’s glory is easy to see here as well. How many hues of green can I count? Look at the variety of color and design in the flowers lining the forest floor. The zipping whir of a hummingbird gets my attention. How great is a Creator who can imagine such a creature then speak it into being with such acute attention to each minute detail, from its tiny, translucent wings to the variety of iridescent greens, oranges and browns shimmer as it plays its aerobatic games at the feeder.
Evening begins falling and I look up from my book as I sit near our small fire. A gawky, leggy cow moose ambles by. I grab the camera and she stops chewing to give me an irreverent look, then she continues on her evening stroll. Book forgotten, I’m still smiling several minutes later at the encounter when I look up again and freeze. Another moose. This one a large bull with wide shoulders and an impressive set of velvet-covered antlers. He’s looking at me too, and I’m nervous this time as I aim my camera his way. (My pictures prove this, they aren’t in clear focus. Karl ends up getting the better shot of him.) Karl and I move back, retreating next to the trailer both so that we can gain quick shelter if he charges and to assure him he’s respected. His dignity, his power carry with them a confident threat and we are happy to submit.
That night, tucked into bed with Karl’s warmth beside me, I think about that moose. I compare his magnificent strength and presence with the playful antics of the hummingbird and I can’t help but be in awe of the God that created them both. I also can’t help but be reassured that such a Creator, such a God, can’t be bested by the shenanigans and evil mere humans do. For the second time I recognize power greater than my own and that I’m in His capable hands. I’m happy to submit.
