Holding a little piece of majesty

 Back in November  I went on a women's weekend retreat and on a walk I found a perfect little pinecone.

As I picked it up and held it in my hand, the thought came to me that each time we touch something created by God, we are actually touching a small part of his majesty.  Not him but something majestic that came out of him, an expression of God's majesty, if you will.

Since then, every time I see this pinecone on my dresser, the first thing I think of is God's majesty.

I am reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love at the moment and it is...  quite extraordinary.  In it he talks about realizing who God is, that he is holy, eternal, all powerful, all knowing, and what those words really mean.

Stopping.
Being in Awe.
Lost in wonder.
Marvelling.
Purposefully remembering each day who God is and not allowing ourselves to be distracted from that.

Francis Chan talks too about our own mortality.  The fact that our lives are described as a vapour, so short a time and one that could end at any minute but that we live as if we were going to be here on earth in these bodies forever.  I've heard all these things before but the echo round my brain is...

It sounds like a cliché but if you really consider the question seriously, a whole raft of things come quickly into perspective.

Today was supposed to be my first 'alone' day but Pikalily is home from school after her operation and I was tempted (very tempted) to feel frustrated and annoyed.  But on my morning walk I asked myself this question and to be honest, if today was my last day, I would definitely want to spend it with my kids.

The light this question casts lifts anger, annoyance, makes me kinder to my children, more patient, kinder to strangers, more appreciative, less worried about what others think.  It makes me focus on what's truly most important and it makes me want to live in a more radical, effective, efficient, healthier way.  Suddenly how many blog followers you have becomes irrelevant, whether your husband annoyed you by leaving all the lights on in the house and dirty dishes strewn around is no longer an issue or whether you have to go out of your way to help someone who isn't even grateful is not a problem.

Profound thoughts.  Have you ever considered this question?  Often it takes a major life changing event to shake us up but how beautiful would it be if we could wake up and start living differently before something like that happened!  How radical our lives could be?  How extraordinary life would become!