Revelation 1:17 - Distracting Beauty

As young man, fresh out of the army after WWII, my dad and a buddy of his took a road trip to Teton National Park. Years later, the Tetons were one of his favorite subjects for oil paintings.

Having seen my dad's photos and paintings, I wanted to see the Tetons myself. My wife and I finally made a trek to the park one July. We rented a cabin at Colter Bay on Jackson Lake. It was an ideal place for a photo shoot: the rising sun shining on the Tetons.

Before daybreak, I found a bench on the shores of the lake. Even for July it was chilly at that hour. So while waiting for optimal lighting on the snow-capped peaks, I decided to grind coffee beans to brew fresh, hot espresso.

After filling the small hand grinder with coffee beans, I started turning the crank. The fresh grounds, caught in a separate receptacle, filled my nostrils with fragrant coffee. Meanwhile, my eyes were entranced with the mountains on the opposite side of the lake, increasingly highlighted with sunlight. The beauty was captivating, disarming.

At one point, I glanced down. My lap was full of freshly-ground coffee! The sheer beauty had been so distracting that I forgot to attach the receptacle for catching the coffee grounds.

Beauty distracts. It leaves us in awe... speechless.

When John had a vision of Christ's glory in heaven, he records, "I fell at His feet like a dead man." (Revelation 1:17, New American Standard Bible, 1995). The prophet Daniel had a similar experience. (Daniel 8:18) The Psalms are full of praise for the beauty of God and His Creation. (E.g., Psalm 8)

God, Whether we're looking at snow-capped mountains, or hayfields starting to turn green, open our eyes to see Beauty. Open our hearts to respond with awe ...and with worship. (Romans 1:20f) Amen.

PS. I ground more coffee, and a rainbow popped up while it brewed!