Finding the Reflection of God

One of the highlights of Yosemite, is seeing the reflection of towering granite cliffs in the water of the valley.

SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERAIn fact, one of the lakes in Yosemite earned the name “Mirror Lake” due to the beautiful reflections upon it’s surface. While not technically a lake, visitors enjoy seeing in its smooth surface the mirror image of the cliffs towering above.

SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERAMirror Lake it actually a man-made lake, from a time when sand and ice were exported from the area for use down in the coastal cities. Today, it is being allowed to return to it’s natural meadow conditions, so each year this once famous lake reflects less – and becomes filled with more grass and rock as the surface drops and widens into a meadow.

SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERANevertheless, a creative photographer can still find places to capture a reflection of Half Dome that rises majestically above it. The reflections can be amazing… but to be seen, something is required.

SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERAWithout this one thing, there can be no reflection of the grandeur above. Waterfalls and flowing rivers and creeks pour over rocks and around bends throughout this incredible park, all working their way to the Merced or Tuolumne Rivers and ultimately to the Pacific Ocean. But you won’t see reflections in most of these because they lack the one quality that can be found at Mirror Lake and in a few other locations.

SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERAKnow what the requirement is for reflection?

Calmness.

In order to see a reflection of the grandeur and majesty “above,” the surface of the water must be calm. It must be still. It must be uninterrupted by ripples, or tossed rocks, or precipitation. It is only in a surface at peace that it can reflect what is above.

That is why I started Yosemite Summit. It is why five ministers will be joining me in May for the 8th annual Summit. We all seek to reflect our Creator. We want His majesty and grandeur to be reflected in our lives. But every day life is overloaded with things that threaten to wash away that reflection. Life is fast paced as we hurry to get everything done, dodging the rocks and navigating the bends of life. There are pebbles and stones tossed into our life continually that cause ripples of anxiety, stress or simply non-stop activity that make the Reflection of God difficult, if not impossible, to see. Problems and trials of life pour down like rain and we soon feel like we can’t even see God in our daily experience.

What is needed is a way to get away from all the disruptors of calmness so we can again see the clear and grandiose image of our Lord and King.

Yosemite Summit is a time for calming the soul so it can again see and reflect the Creator-given image of God. If you aren’t one of those joining me this year, pencil it in for next May. But you need not wait so long to find some calmness and to again enjoy God’s reflection. Get away. Get quiet. Get free of the ripples of life. You need not travel far. It’s a condition of the heart.

The Psalmist had it right when he wrote, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Or, as the NASB translates it, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” Or as James promises, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

Like Mirror Lake, we tend to reflect less over time if we don’t work to create calmness. Ultimately, this is why God made is. “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:27)

Step away. Invite calmness. And reflect your creator.

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