Big World......Little Me

Big World …. Little Me

During my hiking and backpacking days there have been many places I’ve stood on the brink of expansive panoramas and realized how small I really was in comparison to the awesome size of the natural world. 

I remember backpacking solo on a section of the AT, headed south toward north Georgia.  I was taking a rest break on a broad mountain peak called Standing Indian.  It was a hot summer afternoon and as I looked into the distance, a blue sky seemed to roll on forever.  The trees and undergrowth along the trail were the mature deep green of summer, almost overpowering as it encroached on the trail.  There were no man made sounds to hear that summer afternoon, only the natural but powerful hum of thousands of small wings as the insects gathered pollen and nectar from the flowers in the dense vegetation.

As I observed this vast presentation of God’s creation I suddenly realized what a small speck I was in this vast and complicated scene.  God's creation is so big, the web so complex and I am so small; a speck of dust in the cosmos.  Once again I was reminded of David’s question to God in Psalm 8:3-5 “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; ⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him,  and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 

I'll be the first to admit that it is easy for us to become self absorbed, focusing only on what we need or want.  Our "feel good - be happy" society makes us think that we deserve it; we are the most important thing in the universe.  The challenge is to not fall victim to this mentality.

Even working around the yard or walking in the neighborhood I sometimes just stop and look up into the heavens; stopping to simply look up and consider the vastness of space.  Every time I do this I once again realize just how big God is and how small I am.  The simple exercise of looking up into a night sky or even a blue cloud-filled sky always grabs my attention, reducing the self-importance I sometimes feel.  It helps me refocus, giving me some perspective, keeping me on track for the journey along my spiritual trail. 

Take time today to look up; then you can ramble!