Sunsets in the Pacific Northwest are kind of a tricky thing. We often have too many clouds to really see the sun at all. And our glorious trees tend to obstruct the view of the horizon, narrowing our focus to just a tiny sliver of the sky. But tonight the slivers I could see were glorious.
As I drove down a hilly two-lane road toward home, I saw peek-a-boo glimpses of the deep oranges, reds, purples, blues against the silhouetted pine trees. I don't know why exactly, but this made me emotional. I can still feel the tears welling up when I picture the sunset in my mind. I really needed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to chime in with a rousing "How Great Thou Art" to complement my glimpse of heavenly splendor.
This is what I was thinking.
I am so grateful to live in such a dazzling world. God's world is so beautiful, and the beauty persists despite a lot of really hard things happening in the world right now and in the lives of people I love dearly.
Glimpses of this splendor give me hope and remind me that there are greater powers in charge. I can't always see the full extent of the beauty, but it is there. And God is there.
Seeing this sunset tonight feels like an evidence of God's mercy. I've been thinking a lot about the ways my Father in Heaven is merciful in my life and the lives of others. I just finished the Book of Mormon, which is bookended with statements about mercy.
I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
1 Nephi 1:20
I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things . . . that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men . . . and ponder it in your hearts."
Moroni 9:3
I am pondering in my heart tonight about how the Lord is making us mighty even until deliverance. And the Spirit is bringing to my mind the many ways that God's mercy is evident in my life.
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