You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. Psalm 104:5

As I end my ride up and down the Ozark Mountains I was blessed with a view which I might have missed had not Denise pointed it out to me.  The views were scarce in these hills of Missouri, so much so that I had just about given up on any vistas, but yesterday’s final ridge gave me a moment to ponder the beauty of this world.  Last night’s sunset with rays of light beaming through the clouds gave me further pause  --- this marvelous earth on which we live is no cosmic accident.  I know it is a statement of faith to say that this planet has been created by God, purposefully.

But the purpose of God is not always easy to discern.  The psalmists often extoll the wonders of creation, but leave us with questions regarding God’s purposes, “Who are we that you are mindful of us?” (Psalm 8)

The pictures don't fully capture the views.

Creation is full of order and beauty, suggesting a grand design beneath and behind it all.  Yet, creation is a mystery of unfathomable, and sometimes terrifying power, awesome and destructive.  When we try to grasp God’s purpose in it all, filled with questions, God responds as to Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?  Tell me if you have understanding.” (Job 38:4)

In the midst of what we cannot know, and will never understand, I continually return to a statement of purpose that comes to us from Jesus, “I came that they may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

There is much about creation that will always remain a mystery, but this statement of Jesus implies that in the midst of this beautiful and awesome world, we are to live – to LIVE!  My ride across America is an attempt by me to embrace this fullness of life.  Call it a bucket list item, but more deeply it is an engagement with what it means to be alive and to live deeply.

And to live deeply means to bring fullness of life to others as well, which is why I include in this ride an appeal to be aware of the problem of human trafficking.  If one life might be set free from bondage as a result of this bike ride, and the support I am receiving through it, then we are one step closer to the fullness of life that Jesus suggests.  Frederick Buechner says that your purpose in life is “the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”  I guess this bike ride is an attempt at that intersection of gladness and hunger.

Wow, this began as a reflection on the marvel of creation.  No telling where my mind will take me next.

Today is a rest day.  No biking.  We’ll be in Kansas either this afternoon or tomorrow.  But wherever we are, God’s beauty will be there before us . . . and mystery . . . and fullness of life.