God gave me the Grand Canyon

God gave me the Grand Canyon

I was expecting a great rush of awe and beauty of God’s wonderful creation upon my arrival of the first viewing spot of the Grand Canyon. I was hoping He would express to me His great love for me.

However, I was met with some frustrating obstacles.  There were people all around, so many people.  We arrived apparently at the main viewing point (Mather’s point) when apparently half the world was there.  As I am walking up the sidewalk trying to reach my destination I start getting really annoyed.  They were really messing up my expectation of an intimate time with God and His creation.

My thoughts were interrupted with the thought, “Does God love all of these annoying people as intimately and uniquely as He loves me?”  In the past, this thought would actually not have been comforting.  My response would be basically, yes, but I am just one of them.  Like one in a herd of cows.  Like one ant in a huge pile of ants.  Like one in the huge sea of humanity.  I am just another woman.  

However, on this day, I completely realized that a transition had happened in my heart.  It was a transition that had taken three years to happen.  My answer was, “Wow, He does love all of these people as intimately and uniquely as He loves me."    He loves me with passionate love that is completely designed for me.  He designed me in my mother’s womb.  He created me with a specific recipe.  Yet I also realized that my amazing creative Father is able to make each person designed in His image, completely unique.  Each one of these people is His masterpiece. Each one of these people is uniquely and intimately loved.   I am not in competition.  I am not lost in the crowd. I do not have to “prove” myself to anyone. Neither does anyone else.  I was no longer annoyed.  I felt a love surging in me for these people that had come to experience the grandness of nature, yet in my heart, I knew they were longing for the grandness of God’s love. 

God gave me the Grand Canyon, when He showed me that I am free to love others the way that He loves.

Only a Grand God, could have such Grand Love. Only a Grand God could have the amount of love to love so many people.

The realization of the grandness of God’s love far exceeding the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Believe me, it was beautiful.  It was absolutely magnificent.  We spent two more full days hiking and viewing every angle of it that we could.  There was enough Grand Canyon for all of us.  It actually felt at times that we were the only ones there.  The scriptures in Ephesians have even a greater meaning now…

Ephesians 3:17-21

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen