Magnificent desolation. Two words not normally bound together.
A trip to Antarctica in 2005 is responsible for this union. Traveling to the end of the world and entering into the last true wilderness on our home planet sparked a deep yearning within me to get to know the Creator of this alien world.
Have you ever experienced total silence? It's not possible where we live; we are surrounded by static noise 24/7/365. Even in a forest, a wilderness to some, sounds of life permeate the air. Absolute silence knocked me to the terra firma, to a stoney crag on the pennisula of the Antarctic continent. I sat as motionless as possible, even held my breath, and strained my ears to hear it.
For a few moments, I felt as though I was in the very throne room of God Almighty Himself, in all of His infinite glory. The sun shone across a vast white and silvery landscape, splinters of light reflected and refracted off of icebergs and a distant glacier. The color blue beckoned me to remain silent as I beheld the work of the Artist of the universe.
When one encounters the stark beauty of a wilderness such as this, one cannot help but wonder the purpose for it. No man nor nation can lay claim to it, and no plant life calls it home. No animal lives there, though a few species migrate to mate and breed. Man has, unfortunately, staked out a few claims here and there for scientific purposes, but no man holds title to its lands.
Anarctica offers us mere mortals a glimpse into the Infinite's imagination, a place we cannot possibly comprehend, let alone begin to think. It's as though we were meant NOT to think, but just to experience God's majesty, power, and might in this wilderness. No other place on the planet affords us this opportunity.
No comments:
Post a Comment