Problems are for Solving

I rarely hear anyone refer to the plains as beautiful or majestic. In fact, other than the brief reference in Field of Dreams I can’t recall anyone ever lauding Iowa as a great and wonderful place.

Today my family began a trip west that involved driving from the eastern edge of Iowa and the quad-cities to the western edge and beyond—from the Mississippi river to the Missouri.

I took several pictures while we were in the last 2/3 of Iowa and I would definitely describe the landscape as beautiful and majestic. It was a beautiful day today—not too hot, and just a little occasional rain. The drive through Iowa was thoroughly enjoyable.

It is amazing to me as I travel the diversity of God’s creation. People always speak with awe of the creation when referring to Niagra Falls or the Rocky Mountains but those landscapes are few and far between. Iowa lasts for hundreds of miles and other than the occasional urban sprawl around the exits it was uninturupted, simple beauty.

Johnathan Edwards, I am told, defined beauty as a mixture of harmony and complexity. I have never liked that definition because I am convinced there is a beauty in simplicity as well. As we drive through these last few miles of Iowa and get ready to cross the wide Missouri River into Omaha I have a greater appreciation for the beauty of the simple, Iowa landscape. It sticks out to me right now againswt the backdrop of the hazy sky and the cityscape of Council Bluffs and Omaha.

God dwells in the beauty of holiness. The landscape of Iowa, too, is set apart for a particular use that glorifies and reflects the goodness and beauty of our God. May we never tire of appreciating more and more the variety of the beauty of God whether it is in the majesty of the Rockies or the simplicity of the plains.

Written 4/20/05

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