The Marvel of God (Updated from 11/23/2014)

 

"The purpose of your time here on earth is not primarily about acquiring possessions, attaining status, achieving success, or experiencing happiness. Those are secondary issues. Life is all about love - with God and with other people. You may succeed in many areas, but if you fail to learn how to love God and love others, you have missed the reason God created you."

-- Unknown

Go outside today and marvel at something God has made.  If you're an atheist, just go out and marvel at something made by the "creative force" in the universe. Many of us like to shorten that to "God," but, if you're an atheist, you may find "creative force" a better choice. You'll do what you like, as always.

Consider the flower I photographed above.  Pretty?  What makes it pretty?  Is it pretty enough to make us marvel at it?  If we take a closer look, it is showing the best parts of itself in its attempt to be beautiful.  The stamen, pistil, petals, sepals, and, within those, we would see the filaments and stigma.  If we were to cut it open, we would see it has ovaries as well.

It's not just what we see from a distance that makes something what it is. I think it's what we see when we get closer to it. When we look inside of it, it makes us truly marvel at God's work. The intricacy of nature, when left to its own devices. 

“It's so curious: one can resist tears and 'behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses. ”

-- Colette

As it is with a flower, so it is with the people around us.  The natural fullness of a woman's lips, the salt and pepper greying in an older man's hair, the crow's feet at the corners of their eyes, the spring in someone's step, the way their mouth turns up when they smile, the light in a child's eyes, a look of wonder.  And, within each, there is the way they greet us, the pies they bake, their caring touch, or the fact that they are so giving of themselves.

But is everything we marvel at beautiful?  When we look closer, there is always something to marvel at in God's, or nature's, creation. Something to make even the ugly around us beautiful.  I know a person who is beautifully perfect at being an ass.  I marvel at the fact they are a quintessentially perfect ass, yet, upon closer examination, I find they are also beautiful in their own way.  I'm not sure why, but the mere fact they are an ass makes me smile when I see them coming.  I'll remind myself to take a closer look.

Go outside today and think that you marvel at something God, or nature, has made. Then take a closer look, and try to smile as you find a reason to marvel!

I don't care who you are, you'll have to wonder, "How marvelous is that?"

“A weed is but an unloved flower.”

-- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained in 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com