The water at the lake was so beautiful today.  So many shades and variations of blue.  As I stood at the top of the steps from the parking lot, it seemed like if we just squinted hard enough, we would see Canada.  Of course, Canada is nowhere near being in sight, but in a sea of dreary Northeast Ohio days, it’s nice to see a truly clear one now and then.

As I sat in my chair with my feet in the (extremely cold) water, I soaked up the touch of the breeze and the warmth of the sun.  Lake Erie faces north, so the sun is never in front of you or behind you.  Always off to the left or right, it’s like a soft glow of ambiance.  Mood lighting.

The buildings in downtown Cleveland are not really all that tall, but they are indeed substantial when you are among them.  From this view, though, they seemed insignificant.  Just another tree on the horizon.  Man’s plans and accomplishments so delicate, swallowed up by the sky, the sand, the water, and the openness.

We come here once a week in the summer, and I never tire of it.  I love how the waves never reach the shore in the same way twice.  I love how the rocks and shells and debris toss and turn with the water in a rhythm that is musical.  A song of nature and God and the things that are bigger than me and all my worries.

Sometimes the stress and the wonder and the uncertainty weighs us down in ways we don’t even realize.  We think we’re getting through it just fine and have our chins firmly planted up.  But being by the lake on a clear day, seeing God in His Creation so grand, I realize that it’s such a comfort to be small.  To be tucked away in moments and plans and ways that are so clear…even if I don’t have the clarity.  I don’t know the solution to the uncertainties.  I don’t know the answers to the questions.  Lord have mercy…I’m asking the wrong questions!

Glory to God in the smoothness of the current.

Glory to God in the gliding flight of the gull.

Glory to God in the glint of the sunlight.

Glory to God for all things…known and unknown; seen and unseen; clear and unclear.

Glory to God!