The Moral of the Story -- Cindy Trane Christeson

‘We live in an art gallery of divine creativity and yet are content to

gaze only at the carpet.’

-- Max Lucado

Like many of you, I was awakened in the middle of the night Monday by

the sounds of light rain as it became increasingly heavier and started

coming down harder and louder on our roof. It wasn’t long before the

tempo and tune changed to bullets of hail that echoed over our heads with

such ferocity that I almost expected them to pierce right through our

ceiling.

I lay awake for quite some time after the spectacular storm stopped.

Thanks to the fullness of the moon and a distant street light, I could

watch the changing scene out our bathroom window even though the sky was

jet black. I was amazed at how quickly the clouds flew past and

disappeared, like they were racing each other off to distant

destinations.

I couldn’t go back to sleep for quite some time. I felt like I’d just

heard an award-winning masterpiece performed by an orchestra like no

other and I felt like clapping. I wasn’t sure my husband, Jon, would

appreciate that so instead I prayed. I began by thanking God for a roof

over my head, but then began thanking him for who he is, for his power,

his might and his majesty. The last thing I remember before falling

asleep was thanking God for being creative beyond what I could possibly

think or imagine.

When I woke up the next morning, I looked outside at a world washed

clean and shining proudly. I went out for a brisk walk, and no matter

where I looked, everything was clear and bright and beautiful. The blues

seemed bluer, the greens more intense and white clouds were puffed up

regally.

Even the birds seemed to sing with more pronounced clarity, as if the

rain cleared their throats.

I passed several other walkers and joggers and at one point, several

of us stopped and stared at the scene before us. The dark blue ocean was

dotted with patches of what I can only describe as golden circles. It

seemed like a few rays of sun managed to pierce through the overpowering

clouds and made their mark in the water. There weren’t many circles, as

if we humans could only handle the radiance of a few viewings. One woman

shook her said. “I can’t think of the words to describe it. It’s beyond

glorious.”

No words came to my mind either. I saw the coves of Catalina, I saw

the outline of San Clemente Island, I saw city sights I can’t even name,

and as I turned I could see snow on the mountains. As I headed home, the

refrain from an old song went through my head. The words are, “Our God is

an awesome God/he reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power and

love,/our God is an awesome God.”

Our God is an awesome God, and every day he creates is beautiful in

its own unique way. We just need to pause, marvel at the miracle of it

all, and thank our divine creator.

And you can quote me on that.* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport

Beach resident who speaks frequently to parenting groups. She may be

reached via e-mail at o7 [email protected] or through the mail at

P.O. Box 6140-No. 505, Newport Beach, CA 92658.