Wonders we cannot see
I’ve always wanted to see the Northern Lights, but the opportunities to catch them were few and far in between since city lights have surrounded me. When that rare chance appeared over Labor Day weekend, I searched out this natural wonder, hoping to catch even the smallest glimpse of something spectacular.
I found an area where stars weren’t diluted by lights and traffic. Using a trick I’d learned online, I raised my phone camera to the sky, trying to see if I could maybe, just maybe, capture a sliver of the Aurora through a photo.
All I captured was a clear sky with a bunch of stars—nothing else. Disappointed, I returned home.
Later that week, scrolling through my photos, I stumbled upon those attempted photos. It wasn’t until then that I noticed I could see the just the slightest trace of green among the starry sky. It was there—incredibly faint, but there.
That picture stayed with me throughout the month as I started to think about what it means to believe in something wonderful, even when we struggle to see it. We navigate the world through our senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell—so if we can’t use them, do these things even exist?
This world continues to feel heavy with bad news—war, violence, divisive politics—among the weariness in our own personal lives. It can be hard to see the wonder of God’s creation. We often forget something equally important—God has worked God’s own wonder in each of us throughout the ages.
Even in times when we are distressed, anxious, or turning inward to protect ourselves, we may forget to see the wonder of God in one another. But just because we struggle to see each other’s or our own beloved-ness, doesn’t mean God’s is not present.
I think of that first Easter morning when the women came to the tomb, found it empty, and were frightened at what they saw—or didn’t see. Though they didn’t witness the raising of Jesus’ body, the Resurrection was still there. The women proclaimed the same wonder of God that was for them, for the disciples they ran to, and that is for all of us.
In times when we struggle to see God’s world in splendor, may we capture every opportunity to see the wonder God has created in each one of us.
Laura Chester
What a wonderful observation and piece of writing!
Vicki Felger
Maddy, such a wonderful narrative during these tumultuous times!! Let us look for that green sliver! Thank you!!