Simple Pleasure - Looking Up

I already knew what my simple pleasure was going to be this week.  What I didn't know was that this morning at Bible study, I would find the words to accompany the photos that I've been storing up for a while now.

I'm not exactly sure why I started noticing the sunsets and the clouds in the sky to the extent that I do, but I do remember when.  Back in the fall, on my drive home I spent the majority of my commute on a long, straight 55 mph road with soybean and cotton fields on both sides and pine trees off on the distance.  At 5 o'clock, the sun was reaching the tops of the pine trees on its descent into nighttime and it yielded the most spectacular colors and displays.  It became something I looked forward to every afternoon.

Now, even though I don't have the commute, I still have the sunset...and the morning sun and the afternoon sun.  And those beautiful clouds and hues.

This morning, Beth Moore was discussing one of David's psalms (Psalm 19) as it hailed God's revelation through nature.

 ¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.

She discussed "the paradox of inaudible noise."  Through which, though no words are spoken, the sun comes up in the morning and screams out the praises of the Creator.  It shines a light on this world that illuminates the interconnectedness of every single thing on this planet that is so far beyond our comprehension.

Romans 1:20 says this:

²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.  (New Living Translation)

Today, the majesty of God's most brilliant artwork - that changes every single morning, noon, and night in a new and delightful way - is my simple pleasure.

 

This is a midday sun, trying to peek out from a blanket of clouds...

...which made way for this...a beautiful blue clearing.  I love that.

One of these days, I wholeheartedly intend to capture a sunrise.  We'll see...

In the meantime, I will continue to marvel at these sights and plead with my kids to look out the window/up at the sky/on the horizon.  You don't have to look far for beauty.  It is most certainly all around us.

My assignment for you is to take the time to notice it...right now, tonight, tomorrow morning.  Just sometime.  Extra credit if you lie on your back in the grass and look for cloud shapes.  There are no two ways around it...God's artwork is amazing (and - bonus - completely free). 

Linking up today with Dayle for her Simple Pleasures Party.  I triple dog dare you to go read some more.