God-cache

"Many are asking, 'Who can show us any good?' 

Let the light of Your Face shine upon us, O LORD."  Psalm 4:6

This weekend our church's staff met at Petit Jean (said Petteh Jean here in Arkansas) Park for a retreat and we discovered a beautiful place full of surprises.  After the retreat Tom took me to Mather Lodge for lunch and we walked to the Cedar Falls overlook where suddenly we felt very small. Standing on the platform high above tree tops in the gorge below, the calm of breezes in mountain trees began to massage our souls as only God's creation can.  

     In a few moments we heard a couple saying strange things to each other as they came closer to the observation platform: "60 feet," "45 feet," 20 feet," - "Let's try under here."  They were using iPhones to locate a "geo-cache" which turned out to be hidden not more than three feet from where we had been soaking in our surroundings.  The little packet was a sealed plastic bag containing stamps and a coin from another country, a small card with a saying, and two lists of about 30 names of the people who had found this prize before: about 30 names in all.  The couple explained how the app on their phones gives clues and uses a GPS to lead people to geo-caches hidden on every continent.  When people find them, they add their names to the list, take something from the collection, and then leave something in it for the next person to find.  Being new to the concept, we were fascinated with this modern day treasure hunt.

     However, our new friends had never found a geo-cache before and were unprepared to find this one.  They had no pen to write their names and they had nothing small to leave in the bag before replacing it in its hiding place. We started looking for something and Tom handed them a pen and the guitar pick he carries in his wallet. With these two small contributions, we became part of something global 

     God calls us to pull away from the agitators, instigators, irritants and militants yelling and opining out there and let Him bathe us in the peace and calm of His Light.  He calls us to meditate on His grandeur, His creativity, and His beauty.  In His Presence we find everything we need and a lot of what we desire if we come prepared and expectantly.  Who knows when He might reveal a God-cache and we'll want to write it down and sing a praise song.