Tip of My Iceberg

There’s something really wonderful about being overwhelmed.

In a good way.

Yes, there is the overwhelming that heaps pressure and stress on my shoulders to the point where I feel my resolve buckle, and I know everything inside me is screaming for me to quit whatever I’m doing.

There’s the overwhelming that pushes me to do more, accomplish more, be more. And I so badly want to do it, but there just is no more. Of me anyway.

And then there’s that overwhelming that takes your breath away. That makes you sit back in awe. The kind that catches you by surprise and reminds you that you’re just a little cog in a great big universe.

I had my “cog” recognition this past weekend.

I was in retreat mode with my team from work. An amalgam of amazing people. Quirky, but better for being with each other.

Our boss, Randy, wanted us to focus on the things we’re thankful for and something about God’s creation that we truly appreciate.

Where do I even begin?

Having been in Africa, I’m thankful for where I live, the time in history I live, the person I was born to be.

Having been in Boston where the cold and snow can change the way a city operates, I was thankful for the reality of living in weather where I don’t have to invest in heavy overcoats.

Having been through a week of rain in Orlando, I’m thankful that the sun is always there, even when I can’t see it or feel it. Because when it’s present, it’s magnificent.

Having time to think about such things isn’t an opportunity I often embrace. And as I considered where I’ve been, what I’ve seen, the people and experiences I’ve encountered, I was stunned. Not just for my good fortune in being so many places and seeing incredible things.

I was stunned by the marvelous diversity of our world. The reality that beauty is everywhere, from the dark and melancholy gloom of a cloudy day to the dry, dusty yet spectacular sunsets in the desert to the quiet cloak of white after a snowstorm.

And in the middle of it all, I’m so very small. A blip in eternity. The big things I encounter in my life that seem so overwhelming (in the hard way) are here for a moment. It feels bigger than that, but put in perspective, my stuff is tiny.

The vastness and diversity and lavishness of the world around me is what is truly overwhelming. Awe-inspiring. A kaleidoscope of wonder in color and form.

And I am part of it. A witness to it. A spectator and participant in it.

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.”   Psalm 19:1-4a

Am I overwhelmed? Absolutely. I want to live in the midst of the awe that God has made. I want to appreciate my smallness in light of His greatness.

Because this little bit of a person is something special to the One who made me. The One who made all the overwhelming parts.

What in all of creation thrills you?

Second photo courtesy of nation.com.pk.

Third photo courtesy of abc.net.au.