Pause

Ropesville TX Sunset

By Christie Goodman
Psalm 19

West Texas. Flat. Dry. Tumbleweeds. Dust storms.

Oh, but what a sky!

Growing up in that place, I saw many instances when daily duties and hustle would be put on pause when the sky began its transformation from your standard cloud-dotted blue to brilliant orange and red. Hundreds of oranges and reds in fact.

Drivers sitting at stop lights would hesitate to go when their turn came. Runners would slow to jog in place. Shoppers headed to their cars would come to a standstill in the parking lot. We all gazed upward. Alone, yet together.

“We interrupt this program to bring you a very important message…” Queue the majestic music.

After a few minutes, they sky would darken and it would be time to move on. But somehow, we’d been reminded of something bigger than our to-do lists.

If you think I’m exaggerating, you’ve missed this experience so far. We would even talk about it the next day. “Did you see the sky last night? It was like a smile from God.”

And so Psalm 19 begins:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands…
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world…
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.”

In the coming days of this season, let us pause and see the sky. Feel the warmth of its light. Let us be reminded of something bigger. Let us be reminded of the glory of God that is around us and within.