“Alyssa, Alyssa! Come in, Alyssa,” the new friend calls from his imaginary microphone, perched at the top of the ship.
“Here I am, Captain,” my four-year-old says as she adjusts her pretend earpiece.
“Beware of the Megalodon!” Drew chimes in.
A short time later, Alyssa returns to the ship with an invisible armful.
“Here are the diamonds, Captain!”
I smile as I watch the imaginary play between my children and two new friends they met at the hotel’s playground. The sun has set; bedtime has long since passed. But I can’t interrupt their play.
I’m enjoying watching their fun as much as they’re enjoying living it.
Just as I savor every moment of my children enjoying the place I had taken them – doing what they are made to do – I believe God savors the moments when we do, and enjoy doing, what He created us to do.
With Alyssa’s hand tightly in mine, I steal a glance from the narrow path. A cliff on my right, a steep vertical drop on my left, I don’t dare take my eyes off the path long, so I pause. The view of the mountains is nothing short of breathtaking.
I walk a little further and gaze down at the vast forest below me. Soon I hear the faint sound of water. The further we travel, the louder it gets.
Then we arrive. Crossing the short manmade bridge, I look up to my right to see the top of the waterfall. Down on my left, I see more of the same, plunging lower than my eyes can see.
I’m in awe.
Walking back on the same path, I steal more glances as I try to take as many mental snapshots as I possibly can. The beauty is overwhelming.
In the stillness of the forest, with only the sound of our footsteps and the rustling of the wind, I sense it.
God is smiling.
This is His creation. His beautiful creation.
When I enjoy it, He smiles.
When I stay in my own little familiar world, it’s easy to think life is all about me. But when I see the enormity of creation, I realize how small I truly am. And how truly big my God is.
Just as children don’t think a thing about it when they do what they were made to do – play – I think I can overlook the joy God feels when I do what I was made to do. For me, that’s writing and teaching and gardening.
And just as God made every little detail of creation, he made every little detail of our passions and abilities. He smiles when we’re doing what He created us to do.
Do you want to feel God smiling on you? Go enjoy what He created for you in nature. And then do what He made you to do.