Wow, this is an amazing world.  You just have to look, sometimes in a different direction... 

I have been privileged lately to have three weeks of vacation and travel to some amazing places:  Antigua and Asheville.   They couldn't be more different, and yet, the same.... both are amazing.

The beauty of each place is stunning.  In Antigua, I saw wonderful trees and sandy beaches, winding roads that people drive on the "other" side.  I got to scuba dive and saw eels, spotted eagle rays, and really large lobsters, and fish of lots of colors, and coral of weird shapes.  And I saw poverty too.  I saw buildings that were run down, and trash left behind.  In Asheville (NC), I saw giant green trees that carpet the hillsides, running rivers (rivers actually have water in them), brand new houses ... next to run-down houses.  I saw areas devastated by the hurricane last year and new buildings.  I saw incredible wealth and struggling poverty.

And when I returned to Tucson, I saw my "usual" surroundings differently.  I saw how I take for granted the dry desert, the vast view, the brown soil, the beautiful homes, and the run-down homes.  I saw.. differently.

It's important to step outside yourself and see differently.  It has helped me appreciate the world God has given us so much more.  And it has helped me find my place in it more, too.  

So, look differently.  Most of us look west to enjoy the sunset, but take a moment and look north, east, south... and see the effects of the sunset behind you... all around you.   Take a different road to work, or the grocery store, or to the church... see what's out there.... and wow, it's amazing.

Don't let your routine limit what you see in the world.  There's so much more out there!

 

Peace in our journeys,

Pastor Steve Melde