In Wonder of Life

An interesting realization struck me the other day, and quite out-of-the-blue. It dawned on me what an amazing gift that life is. Compared to inert, inanimate objects, like rocks for instance, it is a wonder that we are living, breathing beings. We are the "crown of God's creation" and yet looking at the beauty, vibrancy and variety of life around, especially now that spring is here, nature is completely awe-inspiring. Yesterday, I started to sing in the car some songs I wrote a couple of years ago, and the lyrics of one are:

"All creation sings a melody that rings and calls my heart to sing along, and calls my heart to sing 'You are Amazing! You're beautiful. And my soul responds in awe of You my King. You are amazing, and God I tremble, that for me You'd give Your all, Your everything'"

It's been a while, a LONG while, since I've been reminded to appreciate the gift of life. It's so easy to take for granted that I'd wake up and be safe in my comings and goings that it barely registers that each moment is precious and all the people around me are deep, amazing and beautiful people who are precious in God's sight. I'm thankful for this eye-opener, as it helps me to be kind and connecting to those I may interact with, whether it's my housemates, co-workers, the young men preparing my Subway sandwich today, the water-delivery guy who I decided to finally greet by name today, etc.

I was reading last night an interesting article on the internet, which is posted on this link: http://www.slate.com/id/2187561?nav=wp asking if stuffed animals have souls and discussing a new Tamagotchi-type novelty called "Webkinz", which coerces kids to successfully complete challenges online in order to gain points to build their pet a home, buy food, etc. Technologically, it might be fun or clever, but it can never replace a living, breathing four-footed furry friend. A lot of joy in my life has come from taking care of various pets I've had, particularly cat..after cat...after cat.

To ascribe deep kinship or even worship of something inanimate (or living) may sound extreme, but it happens all the time (e.g. cars, homes, money, etc). This can turn into idolatry before we know it.

In Romans 1:25, the Apostle Paul describes a degenerate progression of thought and action, where "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." I know I have a tendency to desire or pursue some things so strongly that I venture into idolatry if I'm not careful. What helps me is to be thankful for what I have and been blessed with and take time to reflect on why I want [fill in the blank] so much. More often than not, it's a heart issue which gets re-aligned when I put my focus back on God and find my joy and satisfaction in Him.

"Lord God, I praise You for Your amazing creativity and beauty as expressed through Your creation. Thank you for the reminder of how precious and wonderful that life is. Help me to not take this gift for granted, and to honor it in the way that I relate and connect with others. I pray that You would be the sole recipient of my worship. Open my eyes to be aware of the idols in my life and help me to lay them down before You so that You can do Your work in my life unhindered. In Jesus' Name. Amen".