How Great Thou Art

I spent the weekend in Logan with my brother and his family and was driving through Logan Canyon at about 10pm. It was a moonless night and the canyon was extremely dark. It was difficult to see even with my high beams on. After my near miss with the deer in Soda Springs I was moving very cautiously. The trees and rocks cast eerie shadows and made me feel uneasy. I felt foolish for being scared but the darkness was so palpable that it made everything seem ominous. I began to feel depressed about the fact that it was to be another week before I would get to see my wife and kids. I started to feel overwhelmed with my chosen career, feeling like understanding anesthesia was just too difficult and beyond my capacity. After a while I recognized that I had allowed the darkness of the night to give place in my heart for another power of darkness and I was allowing that power to take control. I found a safe place to pull of the road and I turned off my car and got out. I looked up to heaven and cried to God for relief from the burden of the darkness in my heart. My eyes then took notice for the first time of the night sky. It seemed that the heavens were aflame with celestial white light. The expanse of space before me was filled with innumerable points of light. The thick carpet of the Milky Way had never been clearer to my naked eyes. The darkness within me melted away and gave place to a burning gratitude for the Creator. Those trillions of stars and planets and galaxies, rather than making me feel small and insignificant, made me realize how incredibly real God is and how much he loves his children. I was filled with light and a sense of my own worth. I felt a renewed vigor for life and all the challenges it holds to us in this our mortal probation. After a few minutes I got back in my car. As I finished my drive to Montpelier I thanked God for the darkness of the night that allowed me to see and to feel of his goodness.