The sky is bigger out west, blazing blue and gold like a beacon. I wonder if it is what the shepherd who became a king saw, above the rocky hills of Judeah: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”  Something about the absence of the enclosing trees that lays bare the heart under His immensity. Similar maybe to the curving horizon of ocean waves when you stand small at its fraying hem and dig your toes into the sand to stay in place, letting the rhythm of the world wash away the jumble inside.

I thought I would go away and write, with more time and without the pull of everyday chores, but under that sky I found no words. Just space to breathe, to rest, to think…just to be, beneath His brilliant canvas. It is all a matter of perspective, against the sheer size of His creation; without a word you know that your thoughts and struggles will pass away and there is Something bigger at work. David sang it well…“Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

I didn’t realize how much I needed that space and vast stillness, till I got there and found it soaking into my spirit, and now looking back, I wonder if maybe it was not just the large uncluttered physical space but the inside space that I needed. When my days get crowded with tasks and people and noise and needs, I end up chasing from one to the next without time to sit and look at Him, no way to be quiet and listen. And it’s all a matter of perspective, because what you are looking at is what will get bigger, as any child with a magnifying glass knows. Maybe as we grow up we forget that; it becomes a universal case of losing sight of the forest for the trees. “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.” What a huge thing to lose sight of for the sake of cluttered countertops.

No wonder He gave us a Sabbath rest once a week, the gift of a whole day to stop and breathe… look at His creation, divine words made physical and concrete to spread out all around us…look at His law, divine words  powerful to bring about His will in us…look at who He Is and rejoice in His blessings. “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.” 

I know from experience that the sense of that brilliant expanse of blue-gold will fade with time, and the expanse of peace from a vacation will gradually get gnawed away by the needs of Everyday. But I want to hang on, this time, to the reminder that it’s all a  matter of perspective– that I can stop and breathe and look up into His sky any time, look into His Word and just be in His presence, let the jumble of life untangle. Because whatever I look at, that is what will be magnified in my life, and the best part is, I get to choose.

“The decrees of the Lord…are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

**All Scripture taken from Psalm 19.