I returned home from my bus trip. Six days circling Lake Michigan. Up the east side of the lake, across the lower portion of the upper peninsula, and down the west side of the lake through Wisconsin. What an exciting journey for this eighty-one-year-old woman to take with her friends. By the end of the day, I discovered that my daughters were right: I should not be doing this.
But I hadn’t factored in the number of Christian passengers taking this journey or that both tour directors were believers. We were covered by prayer before the bus pulled out of the parking lot.
Our guides were experts and gave us an appreciation for this region’s incredible abundance and beauty. The vistas were spectacular. God creates such beauty for our enjoyment and His. Whether in our homes or on the road, beauty abounds if we look.
I find it amazing that the Lord can and does constantly change the landscape around us. Water, wind, and sand wash the soil away from the tree roots. Flowers bloom, the sun rises and sets daily, and clouds float across the sky. He creates new glory every day for our enjoyment.
Honestly, I don’t always enjoy the plan—the smoothing and sanding He has for me. I often feel that the water, wind, and sand erode parts of me. But these are parts that need perfecting, pieces of my rough edges that need smoothing and shining. The ache makes me acutely aware of my sins and the shortcomings I deal with daily. Sometimes hourly.
I am learning to enjoy this new glory that God creates in me, knowing He does all things for our good and that His creation is always beautiful in His eyes.
Start looking at what God is doing in you.
Susan Paulus is the mother of three adult daughters and grandmother to nine and has been married for over 60 years. She loves her part-time job at her small church in Northwest Ohio, is challenged by the two writers' groups she attends, and loves remembering she was led to the Lord in the mid 1970's by a woman who prayed, "Lord, use me."