accidental drops of yellow

(Photo: View from my computer, Estes Park)

This morning, I skipped church and drove by myself to Estes Park, a quaint, picturesque mountain town just northwest of Boulder. It lies at the foot of Rocky Mountain National Park, so the farther up into the clouds you drive, the clearer you can see the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Rockies.

Usually, when I make this drive, it’s the mountains that impress me most, but not this time. Strangely, it was the trees. Mixed in with the countless rows of dark green pine trees are bright, glimmering drops of yellow—the aspen trees. Almost as if God accidentally let some yellow paint slip off of his brush on his way to the yellow section of the earth.

Moments after I had that thought, God reminded me that he doesn’t do anything accidentally. It’s all intentional. It’s all planned. It’s all on purpose, with purpose.

One of my favorite authors, Donald Miller, once told a story about his friend, John. Late one night, John asked Don to take a drive with him up into the mountains, so he could take some photos of the sunrise. As they ascended the mountain, John continually stuck his head out the window, as if he had spotted something spectacular in the night sky—perhaps a UFO, Don thought. Suddenly, John stopped the car, and with no explanation, got out and laid down on the ground, staring up at the sky. Finally, after a few minutes of sitting in the car, wondering if his friend had gone insane, Don got out and cautiously walked over to John.

“Miller, get down here.”

Don laid down beside him and understood. The sky was brilliantly black and clear, minus the millions of specks of starry lights.

After several silent minutes, Don asked, “John, why do you think God did this?”

And without a moment of hesitation, John replied with certainty, “To dazzle me.”

It’s one of my favorite stories. Every time God catches me off guard with the beauty he has created in this world, I hear his whisper: “I did this for you—to dazzle you.”

And it’s not just in the beauty he’s placed in nature. It’s the waves of grace I see everywhere in my life: new friends that bring out a part of me that I never knew was there or that hadn’t been seen in many years; unexpected pay raises; moments of laughter that bring tears; surprising sparks of creativity; feeling the freedom to move toward the dreams I’ve had for years; the love of the community I have surrounding me; recognizing and overcoming insecurities.

Like drops of bright yellow in the dark green of my life, he startles me with these beautiful accident-like blessings. But they're not accidents—and that’s what dazzles me.