The sun’s rays bounced off the lake and blinded my eyes.
Reading by the lake is fun when I can see something, but my eyes are
particularly sensitive to light right now. The glare on the water was not
enjoyable, and I found myself praying for clouds the next morning.
Much to my family’s delight, that prayer went unanswered, so
I strolled through the resort grounds looking for a bench in the shade, but
even the swing that was perfectly placed under a tree could not protect me from
the reflection on the lake. Puzzling over this momentarily, I walked back to
where two patio chairs were stacked by a fire pit. I moved one behind the trunk
of a large tree and settled into my little hiding spot.
Wisps of clouds decorated the horizon and pine needles sparkled in the sun. Basking in the glory of this perfect morning, I contemplated a quote by C.S. Lewis, "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
I believe in God not because I see Him but because He makes
sense of everything I see and feel: the order in the universe, the origin of
life, the moral code in my heart, and my quest for the meaning behind it all.
But my hiding place behind that tree helped me see a second
meaning in Lewis’s comment. He captured how I worship God. Many days I do not
see God’s direct glory. I cannot spend eight hours a day in church, and I doubt
I would want to. But God infuses my life with meaning. Without Him I would feel
like Sisyphus, rolling a rock up a hill just to watch it fall down again. With
God I know there is an eternal purpose behind it all.
As I enjoy the secular things I do: playing violin,
teaching, reading history books, and playing games, I enjoy them because they
are gifts from my Heavenly Father, and that is worship.
