Acts of God

The Pope resigns, a revision of history wins the Oscar, an asteroid misses earth, and a meteorite doesn’t. There was so much to write about while I was gone.

Have you ever noticed how—when a natural disaster happens—it is an act of God, but when a natural disaster is averted it’s a happy coincidence? When the meteorite crashed into Russia earlier in the month, over a thousand people were injured. That was a tragedy, but what if the same meteorite had of landed in New York city, or Hong Kong or Moscow? Or for that matter what if it had of landed just off the coast of New York or Hong Kong causing a tsunami? The devastation would have been overwhelming and God would have copped the blame.

Granted, I was in vacation mode so I may have missed it, but I don’t recall anyone in the media saying, “Thank God that meteorite landed in a frozen lake.”

How often does that play out in our lives?  When bad things happen we ask God, "why?"  But when bad things are averted, we simply consider ourselves lucky. This week let’s take time to notice the hand of God in our everyday lives, and take the time to thank Him.  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.   

Missed it.

It happened on my way back from Ghana. It was the second to the last leg of our journey home and we had been in the air about four hours.  I was deeply engrossed in a movie and for no apparent reason I opened the window shade, and I was stunned.  There was the most incredible view that was almost indescribable.  There were mountains, and ice fields, glaciers and fjords.  I thought we were over the Atlantic….. apparently not.  When I looked at the map on the screen in front of me, I realized that I was enjoying Greenland from 36,000 feet. Who would have thought?

I was absolutely mesmerized and for 15 minutes I couldn’t take my eyes off the unfolding tabloid beneath us, I finally understood the concept of “Pining for the Fjords.” 

It was then I looked around the aircraft and saw that perhaps 10 shades were open and people were enjoying a view they had probably never seen before and might never see again.  But for the most part the majority of the passengers were reading, sleeping and watching videos, blissfully unaware of what was unfolding beneath them.

And that’s life.  So often we do the ordinary and miss the extraordinary.  But it doesn’t always have to be like that.  Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.