The Beauty of a Momentary Meteor

Gazing Outward with Eyes of Wonder

The beauty was not in the ball of fire falling in the sky as I drove home a few nights ago. Well, to be more precise, the beauty was not limited to the visual wonder of a burning meteor.

The next day as I pondered the sheer size and spectacle of the burning meteor I saw, I was struck by the fact that it was so lightning fast and unrepeatable that it, like a bird in flight, but infinitely faster, escaped the watching eye of my camera lens.

Did I dream up the giant burning meteor? It almost feels like I did, and I certainly don’t have any photo evidence to prove it. But late though the hour may have been, I trust my eyes, and know that I didn’t imagine a ball of fire in the sky. The beauty was in the momentary flash before my eyes, right as I approached the turn in the road. A second later I would have turned and missed the sight. This was definitely one of those blissful moments where something wildly unexpected happens and it feels like it was meant for you alone. Indeed, though others may have spotted the meteor, I believe that God did intend that I should see it, at precisely the moment I glanced up from my drive and turned my gaze towards the sky.

I experienced a similar moment earlier this year when I was having a rough day, walking down a cold and windy beach (when it ought to have been warm and sunny) and picking up fragments of seashells. Just as my pensive thoughts seemed about as bleak as the looming rain clouds above, I spotted a fragment of a shell wedged in the sand. I bent over to scoop it up, yet as I dug with my fingers, more and more shell was uncovered. The teeny fragment I saw turned out to be enormous, and almost entirely intact! Gathering it up in my hands, the hardness within me broke and I was softened by awe at the beautiful shell. It was just what I needed to remember that God is in control and is with me always, especially when I need Him most.

The meteor only appeared for a brief moment, disappearing as quickly as it appeared. It, like the seashell buried in the sand, could easily have been missed. I would likely have missed the beauty of the moment had I focused only on driving my car, eyes on the road, bound to the task at hand. Similarly, if I had succumbed to my melancholy on the rainy beach trip, I would likely have missed finding the giant seashell. Thankfully my gaze was turned outward, lured by the call of the ocean and the sky. But how many times have I missed similarly beautiful messages from God?

We are called to be childlike, to see the world with eyes of wonder and surprise. But so often our troubles, vices, fears, and weaknesses blind us to the moments of wonder unfurled for our delight. The beauty of Creation calls us to childlike wonder each day, yet so often it goes unnoticed as we gaze inward in boring grown up self-sufficiency.

Though beset with suffering, hardship, injustice, and endless anxieties, the real tragedy is that caught as we are in our busy lives, we forget who we are and what we have been called to do. Unannounced, and unasked for, both the meteor and the seashell reminded me who I am. Dear reader, you and I are children of God. We are called to childlike trust in our Father and delight in the world He has given us.

Let us pause and reflect with eyes of wonder. What little miracles surround you today? What momentary meteors are beckoning you, just you, to give up your hardened heart and run to Him?