Stones Cry Out

DAY FOUR

Vacations come with a fatigue factor all their own. Stated simply, I've had all the fun I can stand for today. My body still hasn't understood that we are in a different time zone, which means I don't have to get up before the break of dawn but did again this morning. Not that there was much discretionary space; we had a 9 am appointment for kayaks and paddle boat. My legs and hindquarters have demanded my attention all day as a result of the morning maritime experience of peddle and paddle. After spending the middle of the day sightseeing in Gordonsville and Charlottsville, we returned to the resort for pool time, tennis, miniature golf, and, finally, basketball. My legs ache, my feet hurt, and my back is tender. Thank God for Ibuprofen!

Our stretch on the road from resort to Gordonsville and Charlottsville put us on Virginia Highway 250, what the New York Times calls one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the country. I agree with the newspaper. Rolling hills in the foreground and higher mountains in the background provide a panorama of green and blue with texture created by the interplay of light and shadow. For the moment it was like remembering Eden and God seemed very near, much like the mountains that appeared close enough to touch though they were miles away. "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). I thrill to worship God as Creator and have found that nature stirs within deep longing and love for a Creator who chooses to share Himself by loaning mountains and trees and grasses and birds and animals and oceans to enjoy. I am not espousing pantheism; God is not identical to nature. Quite the contrary. Nature draws me to a very personal Origin. Creation always bows to the Creator, and I worship Him along with every part of creation.

"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Luke 19:40