“The world is fairly studded with strewn pennies cast broadside by a generous hand. But—and this is the point—who gets excited by a mere penny? …It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won’t stoop to pick up a mere penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is, in fact, planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get.” (Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, p. 14)
The poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote that “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes.”
Although Annie Dillard speaks of pennies, I have found Creation to be a banquet table to savor. Does a sight of a rainbow bring you to your knees in utter amazement? Does it elicit words of thanksgiving? Have you taken off your shoes as you sensed the holy ground? Annie Dillard says that “The world is fairly studded with strewn pennies cast broadside by a generous hand.” I find these pennies to be of infinite value. Some of us are artists like Karl and Sheila who capture these pennies in music that brings praise to our Creator and glory to listening ears. Others transform the pennies with oil on canvas that will remain as masterpieces for generations to come. Still others use words to capture the moment using language that transforms the heart. Some use the camera to capture such moments of glory. Those of us who are less gifted use our personal senses to savor the amazing scenes that surround us moment by moment and that is all the blessing that we need.
Psalm 8:1 says it this way: “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.” On April the 8th, I was in Ohio to enjoy the recent solar eclipse. We were blessed with a cloudless sky. As the eclipse was nearing totality, I noticed a small pool of water under a nearby tree. Would it have a reflected image of the eclipsing sun? As I looked down, I was stunned to see not only a reflection of the sun, but also a scattering of smaller solar images and the shadow of the tree above my head. As I reflected on the words of Psalm 19:1, “the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands”, the temperature dropped more than 5 degrees, the night chorus of frogs began, and the afternoon symphony of the birds ceased for a few moments.How have you been blessed this week by the Gory of our Lord’s Creation? Did you sense His presence? What is it like for you to walk and live in His Holy temple?
Our prayer for the day – Lord, allow me to sense your presence and to express my thanks for the daily reminders you provide in your amazing Creation. Amen.
Thanks for listening.
— Joe Sheldon
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