There is so much I could write about our trip to Denver. I could tell you how beautiful the scenery was, how friendly the people were, how interesting and varied the weather was.
But if you’ve been to Denver, you already know that. And if you haven’t–see the paragraph above.
But to me, probably the most significant elements of our trip to Denver–and for personal reasons, the most meaningful to me–were the signs I saw of the hand of God guiding and ordering our steps.
Here are just a few examples:
- Randomly finding an old friend of 20 years on the Internet, finding out (days before we left for Denver) he lives in the Denver area, and finding just the right moment to reconnect with him.
- Getting lost in downtown Denver, and having a stranger in the next car notice our map, roll down his window, and offer us directions–even allowing us to pull in front of him to get in the correct lane (this NEVER happens in Tulsa).
- Little things in conversations with friends and acquaintances that clue you in that God is speaking to you.
- Repeatedly getting the perfect weather and perfect lighting for The Wild One to get pictures of the scenery. (She took the picture above, and you can see more of them on Flickr here as she keeps uploading over the next few days.)
- Stumbling into Old Colorado City on The Wild One’s birthday just as a windy front blew the autumn leaves through the streets. (Rarely do you see something that picturesque, and it reminded The Wild One of her childhood birthdays. Very meaningful.)
- Finding an unmarked dinosaur footprint on a hiking trail (very meaningful to The Director).
- Deciding not to spend an extra day in Denver. (We missed a blizzard on the high plains by about 12 hours; had we waited a day, we might haven been delayed much longer.)
- Deciding to stop for a driving break earlier than planned, coming across a major accident a few miles down the road, and realizing that had we not taken the break, we might have been involved in the accident.
- Getting home just in time to prevent an unanticipated banking issue that could have cost a lot of money. (I tell you–in more ways than I can count, our timing was PERFECT.)
These things, and others like them, spoke continuously to me about God ordering our steps, something I really needed to know.
Now, my new friend Matt would tell you (as he told us during the Off the Map conference) that he doesn’t believe in such things as supernatural signs or divine moments. He struggles with that concept…and yet, he shared with all of us that he’s had a few moments that felt like more-than-coincidences, where he began searching the skies for a sign. I think there’s a part of him that wants to believe it’s true that there’s a God watching out for him, sending signs of His presence in his life. That’s probably true of all of us at some level–we want to believe it, whether we actually do or not. Matt hasn’t taken that leap of faith as of yet. And I can understand why, and I can respect where he’s at.
There’s an interesting line, of all places, in the movie The Santa Clause, where Tim Allen’s character is at the North Pole talking to an elf, admitting that he sees all the wondrous things around him, but he doesn’t believe it. And the elf tells him he is missing the point. “Seeing isn’t believing. Believing is seeing. Kids don’t have to see this place to know it exists.”
Yeah, okay, I’m not making an argument for a real Santa Claus. But there’s truth to the saying. Sometimes you have to take the leap of faith in order to see what you’re looking for. Believing is seeing.
For me–I do believe. Faith involves believing things without a lot of evidence, so I don’t have to see in order to believe. But I did see. Over and over, I saw the signs of God watching out for us, the signs of His blessing and favor. Maybe it is things like this that help us believe (or keep believing); or maybe the reason we can see them is because we believe. Maybe believing helps give us eyes to see.
Either way–I’m good with it. And I’m glad I saw what I seen. 🙂
Thank You so much, God–I needed that.
Wayward Son
Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo.
I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.
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Back more than a few years ago, we used to listen to David and Karen Mains on the radio. From time to time they would encourage their listeners to go on a “God hunt”, where they would look for evidence of God working in their day-to-day lives.
I find that the further I journey, the more likely I am to see God in the “mundane” things of life. My son is 25 and he’s already figured this out.
I love Colorado in the summer and early fall – it’s the best time to go (I think)….
Our family is headed to Oklahoma the week of Thanksgiving – never been to that state before…so, looking forward to adding it to my “list of states I have visited”! :0
Great picture of the bird! My husband and 17 year old son love photography – hence, our trip to the Wichita Mountains (in Lawton, OK).
Jeff,
Wonderful post!
First, I’d like to say I’m so delighted that you noticed the beautiful scenery of Denver. Not sure if you knew, but I lived in Arvada (a suberb of Denver) from age 0-11. Good memories of the Colorado Rockies, and school field trips downtown to the Denver Mint, State Capital, Planatarim, and museums.
Secondly, I am a solid believer in God’s “Divine Moments” He kisses and hugs us so sweetly with through our lives.
Third, great connection with the movie “Santa Claus” of faith is believing in what is “unseen.” Ah…so, so true. Although our eyes may not “see,” our hearts do!
Blessings,
~Amy 🙂
http://amyiswalkinginthespirit.blogspot.com
Co-heir,
I think I am more and more able to see God in the little things. It adds so much wonder to our lives.
Kelly,
Colorado in the fall was, indeed, beautiful. Lawton area is a part of OK I have not yet visited either. Tell me how it is.
Amy,
As it turns out, when we weren’t sightseeing…Arvada is where we spent most of our time, including the Off the Map Conference. A beautiful area.
God in the little things – this is true – we often want the seas to part again or maybe the sun to pause in the sky – but as I see God reveal Himself to me in the little things I discover – He knows who I am!!!
BTW – thanks for your comments on my mate.