After all these years, some things still amaze me!

Since starting my career approximately 40 years ago, I have flown over 1 million miles. Delta Airlines tracks such things… other airlines do as well. (I have a close friend that led international business of his employer for many years of his career. I believe his number approaches 3 million miles!) Mostly, these trips have been for business. Lately, as my wife and I start our next phase of life, they are for pleasure and recreation.

After all those trips, many smooth and uneventful, some with pleasant and sometimes (very) unpleasant surprises, I am still amazed at the operations of a modern jet aircraft. I still pause from time to time to just watch that large, impressively designed, carefully manufactured vehicle start slowly, accelerate under tremendous power, then conquer the confines of gravity that us mere mortals face…. And FLY!

(Of course, equally impressive is the ability of trained people to land it again smoothly and safely). “If man was meant to fly, he would have wings.” Well, thanks to Orville and Wilbur, and countless engineered elements of effort since, man does in fact have wings!

These travels to so many different parts of our country, and now to so many varied parts of our world, have opened us to amazing diversity. Again, I will pause from time to time to just soak it in. It might entail lovely landscapes, a clear night of infinite stars or even at rare times, radiating northern lights. Or it may include majestic mountains, or infinite plains that extend beyond the horizon that my eyes can see. Sometimes it may center on roaring rivers, peaceful lakes, gulfs or oceans that launch the rising sun or carefully caress it back into its hold at sinking sunset. I thrill in the infinite variety of the created creatures that occupy these spaces.

Often it includes bustling cities and towns with the vibrating energy of its residents. And in these amazing places, I will pause to just watch the amazing diversity of the people who live there. I wonder what set of experiences and what set of aspirations have brought them to their time and place? What might they be thinking and doing? What might be their setbacks, their failures and successes, and what might be their hopes and dreams? I sense that there may be common “themes” in our shared experiences, but the specifics of each of their journeys are as diverse as the appearance of each person.

And what is man that You are mindful of him? (Ps 8:4) How is it possible that You know us by name? Over the billions who came before us, over the billions that are with us now, and the untold numbers that will follow us, You stitched us together in our mother’s womb! And You breathed into being all of us as diverse and different beings - no two exactly alike. Except, that all of us are dearly loved by You….so dearly loved that your own Son was sacrificed so that we can be together… now in part and in the future wholly and forever.

And on these points of amazement, I can only bow to pray and rise to sing of my God and praise His glorious name. To Him be all praise and thanksgiving, now and forever more! Amen!

-- written by church member Mike Cok