the heavens declare.

Hello lovely readers! It’s hard to believe that summer’s already almost over, isn’t it? Where I live, end of July/beginning of August means two things: 1. kids are going back to school (which to this former Midwestern girl who never started back till after Labor Day is still pretty bizarre) and 2. it’s monsoon season. Meaning that for about one month, our normally dry, bland weather turns into a who’s who of guest weather stars: windstorms, humidity, flash floods, thunderstorms, hail, etc. You name it, we got it. 

All this crazy weather, in particular an epic thunderstorm we had earlier this evening, reminded me of a draft of a post I wrote way back in May when I was still brainstorming for this blog. This post was inspired by a rainstorm that didn’t realize it wasn’t monsoon season yet and decided to show up prettyyy early in the year. Despite it being written three months ago, the thoughts I share in it remain true, so I thought I’d share! Hope you enjoy! 

When you live in Arizona, rain is a rare thing. In fact, before I moved here, I thought I’d never see a single drop of rain again. But contrary to popular opinion, sometimes there is a rainstorm in the desert. Last week, we had such a storm and I. Loved. It. There’s nothing more comforting to me then falling asleep to the rolls of thunder and the pitter patter of rain on the roof. But while I love rainstorms, I’ve never really paused to consider what comes before them. In between storms, I happened to glance out my window and see the sky was filled with dark clouds. Amazed at the beautiful sight, I stepped outside to take it all in (and maybe snap a pic for the ‘Gram). As I wandered barefoot around my driveway, trying to find the perfect angle for a pic, a verse suddenly jumped into my mind:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” ~ Psalm 19:1

I find it disturbingly easy to forget to wonder at God’s presence in creation. Every leaf, every star, every cloud absolutely screams about the Hand that lovingly crafted it. We are constantly surrounded by God’s handiwork, yet we rarely stop to look for Him in it. Even as I pulled out my camera to capture an image of a beautiful evening sky, I was mostly concerned with how the picture would look on my Instagram story. I barely stopped to reflect on my Creator God and how crazy it is that the same God who placed each one of those clouds into place loves and cherishes me. When God put that verse on my heart, it was a gentle reminder to put down my phone and look up at the sky again, this time with eyes opened wide and my heart filled with wonder at the glimpse of His glory displayed before me.

So next time you stop to marvel at a thunderstorm, gaze at the vastness of the ocean, or simply take in the beauty of a sunset, I would encourage you before pulling out your camera to capture a shot of Creation, take a moment to meditate and stand in awe of the Creator of such a masterpiece.

You are loved,

Maguire

“All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name. Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man” ~ Psalm 66:5-6