It is a freezing August morning in the city of La Paz, Bolivia. Bravely, Andri and I head up a very steep hill to witness the sunrise over the snow covered mountains and the age old buildings of the city situated in the valley.
With coldish coffee we witnessed the break of day with the beautiful red and orange colours that start to play over this endless possibilities of a new day. Looking at pictures like this, the reality strikes you once again: I am in another continent! The reality of knowing that you are far away from the sun that is almost setting in South Africa. You know that the same sun will rise over the beautiful Jacaranda trees in Pretoria, the dry open spaces in the Karoo, over Table Mountain in the Cape, over the stoep at my house in Brakpan and also over where ever it may be I find myself next year. And the beauty of it just strikes me! How brilliant is our God! How beautiful the pictures He creates, the mystery of how the world actually works! Without planning it, I read Psalm 65 that morning. It says: "you answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Saviour, hope of all the ends of the earth and all the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves and the turmoil of the nations. The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders, where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs if joy."
A few days from that morning some of our parents came to visit us! My mother took her first big overseas trip! I was super excited! And then one of the biggest surprises ever hit me! Both my sisters came to visit as well!! What a privilege! They put their work and studies at halt, just for me!! That morning at the airport I told them a thousand times how crazy they are! But in the days that followed it was an even more crazy time which I will treasure for ever!
The four of us had such a blessed and exciting time in the 10 days that they were with me! They experienced a foreign market, took a really dodge taxi ride and a 22 hour bus ride for the first time. They saw people in real traditional Bolivian clothing, learnt a few Spanish words and experienced their first overseas backpackers stay. We had the wonderful opportunity to visit the spectacular sight of Machu Picchu and a mountain hike that literally and physically took our breath away! The excitement in their eyes and the way they looked at things in amazement struck me. Their visit forced me to look at things as if I saw it for the first time again! How quickly do we actually get use to things?? We get use to the beautiful flowers that welcome us at our front door step, we get use to the comfort of our homes and way of living and we even start to get use to seeing new places when traveling! We get use to the unique smiles of our loved ones, to the sound of a person's laugh and we get use to feeling loved. Is all of these things not blessings that we should look at as if we see it for the first time - every time? And again thank God for these treasures and undeserved gifts we receive? Every time we experience something new, it is a celebration, a gift from God! A new friend, a new place we visit or a new revelation about Who God is and what He teaches us. And so, every day is a new gift from God! And not in the cliche sense of how we sometimes say it or think about it. But the truth of the matter is that the world is our playground. Maybe yet another cliche we have gotten use to. But when last did we think about it? Every morning that the day breaks is an opportunity God gives us to play in His creation! To see things anew again! To have the opportunity of getting to know our Creator better. To dance in His sunlight, to sing into the air we breath, to run into the unknown which He already planned!
May we never get use to the wonder of God, the beauty of His creation and the beauty of new things! And every day, every sunrise celebrate with joy the new beginning. Whether the sun rises over the mountains in Bolivia, over the slums in India or over the window pane in your room, it is a new creation which I hope that I never get use to!
Because the world is my playground, life is my chance and God is my purpose!
"The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders, where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs if joy."