I chase storms. I’ve been known to do it on foot, chasing a tornado through a park during a graduation party, and also in vehicles, whether a 10 days storm chasing trip across the US or a random chase of my own. I’m not always the smartest about it, sometimes pulling off on exits I don’t know, driving into storms I know nothing about. All I know is, I find it fascinating. Should we ever encounter a storm, you will see me, camera in hand, running as fast as I can in its direction.
Today, I attempted a chase much different than any other I’ve ever been on before. While there were some storms in the sky, it was not those I was chasing. I was chasing art. Cascading across the widest of canvases, were hues of reds, pinks, purples, and oranges-God’s pallet knows no boundaries. This beauty before me literally took my breath away…though no worries, I am currently breathing quite fine. My option was none other than to chase. I needed to capture this goodness. I needed to claim its perfection for myself. I needed to catch this sunset.
Let me fast forward a bit and tell you about my drive in to Indiana this morning. I woke up a bit earlier than I would have liked to on a Saturday, gathered my things, and headed out to meet up with some friends for one last hurrah. I decided I would drive through good ol’ Dunkin Donuts to get a cup of Joe, and my lunch for the day, and then continue on my merry way. I managed to take probably about 2, maybe 3 sips of my coffee when the inevitable happened-I spilled it on my hand. It was hot. When they say “Caution! Hot! Attention! Caliente!,” they are not kidding! Of course this happened to be the time they didn’t give me a napkin, so I did the next best thing…wiped it on my pants. I continued to hold my “extremely hot beverage” in my hand (which mind you, was a small which is not in an insulated cup) when the inevitable happened again! This time, I completely missed my mouth and poured it down the front of my shirt. After this happened, I knew there was only one thing left to do. “God, I give you this day because clearly nothing I do today on my own is going to go my way.”
I was looking at my gift. I needed to capture it and remember it forever. This beauty, the Lord’s handiwork-I needed to always remember this moment and this day. So I chased.
My first stop was the truck stop. The semi driver looked at me strangely as I leaned against the light pole, camera in hand, snapping away at the beauty before me. Nothing I did captured the perfection though. Try as I may, I simply had to settle for mediocre and sub-par. This was meant to be God’s art, not mine.
I continued my drive home, amazed at how quickly darkness seemed to be overcoming the beauty that had just moments before captivated me. The next thing I say, I don’t recommend and Mama and Tete, don’t worry, I was perfectly safe the whole way 🙂 I continued my drive, taking pictures of the darkening sky through the windshield, even making sure they were in focus and everything! As I adjusted to this darkness, however, I saw something I was not expecting. Blazing glory, descending from the sky-I had another chance at this sunset. The view was more extravagant than before, but the sun was setting faster than ever. I needed to find somewhere to pull off and I needed to act fast.
I soon found myself on my regular exit driving down a road I didn’t even know existed. Trees blocked my view the entire time. I tried taking pictures while driving again, but between traffic, trees, and the quickly setting sun, this was proving to be yet another failed attempt to capture God’s beauty on film (well, digital…).
As I drove home, having just given up on this particular sunset, I realized I wasted one of the most precious gifts God could possibly give by trying to capture it. In all that time I spent chasing the sunset, especially the last one, I missed its beauty entirely. I couldn’t sit there in awe or praise God for His creation because I was too busy trying to steal it for myself, so I could enjoy it later. Sure I got some mediocre pictures, but they’ll never compare to what God painted before my face. They’ll never compare to that art God made especially for me. How did I thank Him? By missing it…
Isn’t this the way we go through much of life? We chase the moments we long to cherish. We hope to live off retreat and mission trip highs only to crash hard because we never experienced the true meaning behind them. We spend hours taking pictures at high school dances, longing to have that time back to spend back on the dance floor. We miss the moments because we try to preserve them.
Don’t get me wrong, I love pictures. Photography is a passion of mine and something God has really spoken to me through. But how often do I have days like this where God is trying to just give me a gift and I miss it because of this passion of mine? Chasing sunsets is dumb. Just enjoy them. Just sit in awe. It’s His gift to you. Don’t miss it like I did.
