At the border between Virginia and West Virginia, deep in the thickly wooded Shenandoah mountains, there is a small peak named Reddish Knob from which the entire valley can be seen. I stood atop that rock on several occasions and watched as the sun’s rays receded in rippled across the sharply contoured peaks. While the day had been long its end was swift.
In those brief moments my ears heard all that nature had to say, my eyes saw all that it could show, and I learned more than I could understand. I stood long enough to see the first stars twinkle, to hear the first cricket chirp, to feel the first faint chill of evening and I thought, “It is a wonderful world.”
Yes, under this newly laid cloak of darkness someone suffers from disease, another feels the pain of rejection, and still another knows the sting of death. The storms of life can erode even a mountain of hope until it is sand we hold and nothing more. It is clear that thorns mar the beauty of this world. We live in a fallen world and we have the scars to show it. Yet even though this world suffers decay, even though it has been subjected to frustration and is passing away—it is a wonderful world.
It is a world of wonders; full of dancing fools and laughing children. It is a world of ice-cream sundaes, chocolate-chip cookies, warm fuzzy puppies, and friends who call on occasion—just because. Somewhere in this world the day is closing with the beauty of a sunset and every heart harbors the hope of another day. Every blade of grass, every creature that lives, every drop of rain, and every wisp of wind declares—it is a wonderful world.
This world was made so beautiful and wonder-filled that even sin’s curse could not destroy its radiance. It was Jesus who told us to look again at our world for evidence of the God who loves us. He said:
“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” (Luke 12:24)
“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” (Luke 12:27)
We must remember that the same God who made the lily beautiful and feeds the birds also made us and made us wonderful. We are innately more beautiful and richer than all the earth.
One day, “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:21). Then the salvation wrought in us will be manifest in all of God’s creation. Then He will again thunder over the world of His making, “It is good.” And I will answer back, “It is a wonderful world.”
Luke 12, John 3:16, Rom. 5:8, Rom. 8:20
Copyright©2007 Hudson Russell Davis
That was truly a beautiful piece.
I come here often to read your writings, because not only are they interesting and wisdom filled, but they also bring a sense of peace. Here, is a quiet place where one can come and reflect on the things and love of God. Thank you for sharing. Truly God is pleased with the way you share His love.