On our way to our oldest daughter's college graduation we traveled all the way through Oregon. This is a long stretch of road with endless trees on either side. It is great to be in a place where you aren't traveling through cities all the time, but it can be redundant by the fifth hour of the same landscape.
All of a sudden our travel was interrupted by a momentary excitement. As I was looking down the road miles ahead I saw a black bear lumbered across the road. He was quite a ways off from our immediate stretch of road, but he was certainly not one I would wish to tangle with outside of our car. It was exciting for me for I love to see wildlife as we travel. It has been years since we have seen a bear in the wild, perhaps not since we took our kids to Yellowstone fifteen years ago.
This momentary event made me attentive throughout the remainder of our sixteen hour drive. This can be like much of our life journey. Our existence may seem boring and redundant at times. Yet those moments when God walks into our life through an unexpected joy, being asked to officate at my brother's wedding or baptizing a fourth grader at her, and her family's request. Those moments we need to be ready to answer the call and give God thanks for the opportunity.
Life can be mundane at times, even the Christian life, but our faith asks us to be ready at all times to discover God in our midst and to be willing to share his presence with others.
We didn't see any other bears, but we did see a few deer. It was a great trip and a wonderful celebration, the graduation I mean.
Let us always be prepared to celebrate those joyful pockets that spring upon us.
Joyfully Serving Him,
Pastor Randy
