Chile is one of those places that simply takes your breath away. The rocky coastline gives way to rolling hills of forests which is followed by the Andes which rise up and look out over the metropolis, which is Santiago. The landscape is so diverse, from having rolling vineyards to peaks capped with snow. The scenery just blows you away from the moment you step off the plane. There was one point in particular that I am reminded of; we were driving back from the coastal town of Iloca with the sun beginning to set beyond the hills. As it did so, the rolling hills of trees were painted with various hews of red, orange and purple. It was absolutely beautiful and displayed God's glory for everyone to see. Living in Pennsylvania, you don't see this splendor. So I began thinking about what it would be like to live in Chile. To be there every day and constantly be blown away by this beautiful landscape. I noticed that while my hosts acknowledged that it was beautiful, it did not impact them in the same manner. I thought about how that is true in my own life here in the States. Sure I notice the splendor for a while, but I soon become numb to it and I barely notice it after a while. In fact the reason why I was so blown away by the scenery around me was because it was different from what I was used to. I firmly believe that I would eventually grow accustomed to the landscape and thus rarely notice the wonders around me.
I get that way with God a lot of the time. Every now and then, I am blown away by the beauty of God. His splendor seems to permeate everything around me and I get lost in His love. It is as though God has been absent for so long and suddenly He appears in a miraculous way, but that isn't it at all. Instead, I have lost sight of God during those other times. I have allowed the constant presence of Jesus to slowly fade and seem mundane to me, yet God is at work in my life every day. Recently, I was talking with my spiritual director and he told me to do a daily examine. Basically this is a time for me to simply sit and contemplate where I have seen God at work in my life. Now, I'll be honest, at first I had a hard time seeing where God was in my day. I think that primarily the reason behind that was that I simply wasn't paying attention. I wasn't looking to see God in my everyday actions, but rather I was simply going through my normal day. By looking for God at work in my day, He becomes visible. I can see the hand of God move in my life in the smallest of ways. It reminds me that I need to be more observant throughout my day, so that I can carefully watch for God's presence. It is a constant struggle to keep God at the forefront of my thoughts and a daily battle to ensure that Christ's splendor displayed in my life does not slowly fade to monotony.
