go step outside

Have you ever stepped outside and been awed by nature? How about humbled by your own smallness against the backdrop of the seven billion other people that live on this planet? Stop and think for a minute. Right now. You, me, and everyone else are standing (or sitting or sleeping or running or working or playing or any other number of things) on top of a giant sphere that is spinning around in the universe. Weird? Unexplainable? Unbelievable? All of the above? Take a second to look at this video by Francis Chan, a pastor in Simi Valley, California and the author of Crazy Love, the book that inspired this blog...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ya12I036lg

Overwhelmed at your own insignificance yet? It's hard to think about the universe--the vast majority of which we cannot see--and not feel small. It's even harder to look at the world around us, the world we can see every day, and not be overwhelmed by life's complexity. I was a biology major in college, and have always loved science and had a genuine curiosity for figuring out why and how things work. Yet, the more I've gotten to know science, the more I've become convinced of God. The intricacies of the human eye or the number of muscles it takes to speak (at least 70) are enough to convince me. But even simpler than all of the complexity, just stepping outside and observing the world moves me in a way I can't really explain.

This weekend, I went hiking in Shenandoah Valley. We made camp on top of a 3,000 foot tall mountain. It was breathtaking. Two verses kept running through my mind over and over again...

"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." Romans 1:20

...and...

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear it's sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit." John 3:8

Apparently, it's really windy on the top of mountains, and as we stood on the edge of this rock wall staring out over the mountain valley, I was blown away (literally and figuratively) feeling close to God. It was God visible in a way you can really only understand while you're experiencing it. I'd challenge you to go outside and just sit quietly and listen. Find a place where there isn't a lot of noise, a place where you can be alone, a place where you can simply "be still and know" (Psalm 46:10). Just sit there and be quiet and listen to God. Rather than talking to Him or asking for things or doing anything, try to hear what He has to say to you. It's hard to do, but if you can quiet your soul and your mind even for a few moments, your knowledge of God, and by extension your faith, will start to grow.

How does all of this connect to crazy love? For me, it's the inexplicable, incomprehensible thought that the same powerful God who created nature in all of its splendor, who raised mountains out of the ground, and at the same time dressed the lilies of the field, wants to take the time to not only know me, but to love me more than humanly possible. Even after standing on the edge of a mountain, I still can't understand it, but I want to know that kind of love. I need that kind of love. My soul craves it everyday, sometimes so much that my breath catches and I wonder what I'll do if I can't feel it. Thankfully, I don't have to not feel it. God is offering it freely to all of us, and nature is a good place to start to understand it.

"So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you." Psalm 63:2-3