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Picture it. ... There I was, standing at an intersection about midway up the steep hill that climbs from Lake Superior into the heart of town.
I leaned against a lamp post, gazing east to the vastness of Lake Superior. I had my ear pods in, listening to some newly discovered gritty Americana music our oldest son suggested to me. The sun was hot for a late September day, and there was a heavenly cool breeze blowing up the hill from the lake.
Friends, if you've never been to this gem of a small city before, Duluth is beautiful for those who are in love with autumn.
I was so content, that if I had been a cat, I'd likely have curled up right there and taken a midday nap.
Normally, my days are so full a moment like this would have seemed absurd. But at that minute in time, my lovely spouse was perusing a consignment clothes shop situated on that corner. And while I am not a Rhodes Scholar, I am smart enough to know not to rush her when she's in her happy place.
So I hung out contentedly on a street corner, listening to funky new music, letting the breeze cool the sweat forming under my hat and drinking in my surroundings.
It's been a while since I've noticed the Holy Spirit's presence so prominently. Because most of the time I'm too busy to pay attention.
It's taken five-plus decades of living and one talented therapist to help me understand that thanks to a childhood filled with trauma my natural disposition is to govern my emotions. The result is that I am somewhat impervious to tragic emotional lows, an occupational plus. However, the tradeoff is that I also don't experience emotional "highs" that others do as well.
But I'm working on it. And I lean on the Psalms quite heavily to remind me that yes, while life is hard and can be painful, life is always sweet and beautiful and is "very good," as God describes it in Genesis.
Friends, there are forces out of our control that want to convince us our world is doomed. That we've reached a fictional impasse after which we can only duck, cover and wait for the impending implosion of whatever imaginary apocalyptic future we've conceived in our heads.
That's just evil tricking us. Don't believe it.
The way we fight back is to take one moment each day and stake your ground. Find even the smallest example around you that reminds you that Creation is simply amazing, and bask in it.
For instance, let the breeze off of one of the world's largest freshwater lakes carry off your imagination into the clouds. And allow yourself to stay there a minute ... or longer. Amen.
Devlyn Brooks is the CEO of Churches United in Moorhead, Minn., and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serving Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He blogs about faith at findingfaithin.com, and can be reached at devlynbrooks@gmail.com.