The Grand Experience

“You’re like the Grand Canyon.”

The Grand Canyon? I’m sure the man meant well in saying it, but that surely wasn’t the uplifting word I’d hoped to get that morning while standing in the prayer line.  

He went on to say that God wanted to fill me up. So, he prayed. And God did. And I walked away with more than I had hoped for.

But there were times after that when his unusual statement circled back—usually when I was at my lowest—to paint a picture of myself I wished I didn’t see. The man likened me, of all things, to the Grand Canyon! A gargantuan hole in the ground surrounded by steep rock walls with deep fractures, and caverns, and cliffs caused by uplifts and mass wasting, by earthquakes, intense erosion, glacial activity, climate changes, and other harsh forces of nature.

Yep, that pretty much summed up my life at the time as a new believer in Christ. A lifetime of sin and its consequences had erupted, disrupted, eroded, and chipped away at every part of me. Relational and emotional storms left deep gashes in my self-esteem. They washed my sense of belonging downstream. I felt like all that was left of me was a hollowed out, empty abyss with dark caverns of shame and unresolved pain along my steep rock walls of self-protection. I indeed had needed filling.  

Jesus has healed most of that tainted image of myself, and over time replaced it with new. So much so, that when the Grand Canyon word I received came to mind after so long a time, it actually produced a smile. That’s the wonderful, transforming power of God’s Word.

In the beginning, God . . .

Back then, darkness so thick that nothing penetrated it, covered the face of the great deep. And God said, Let there be light. Light exploded. The impenetrable darkness was pierced. God spoke again and order emerged out of chaos. The empty waste of nothingness became earth, and what had been uninhabitable became inhabited and bustled with life. [i]

In the same way, whatever depth of darkness binds the human heart, whatever emptiness, chaos, and confusion we experience, whatever nothingness we may feel we are, the same God who commanded light to shine out of darkness in Genesis chapter one, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God in the face of Jesus. [ii] Darkness has never overpowered it, has never put out, or absorbed it. It can’t lay hold of it as its own and it can’t figure it out. When God’s light shines, darkness goes.

I’ve since learned that the Grand Canyon is far from some gargantuan hole in the ground. It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world that I hope one day to see.

Visitors say that the morning sunrise transforms the black canyon into a vivid palette of colors - reds, oranges, yellows, and greens. Changing light and shadows create different patterns and formations on its steep rock walls. Some days thick white clouds hang low, hiding view of the other side until they lift.

In the heart of the Grand Canyon flows a river—the Colorado River. Its powerful whitewater rapids continuously reshape the canyon’s floor. Its tranquil pools and streams provide a habitat and critical water source for people and wildlife alike. The whole Grand Canyon experience is said to be breathtaking . . . spiritual. [iii]

Isn’t that just like our God to be and do the same in us? No matter how dark or hollowed out, or rough we might feel, His light arises upon us. [iv] His glory reflects against what we thought were ugly crags and crevices brought on by hardship and sin, and we’re transformed into beautiful image bearers of Him with our own unique stories.

Clouds may hang low over us some days, hiding from us what God is doing. But when the clouds lift, we discover that He was in the clouds, sustaining and guiding us all along. [v] 

At the core of our being flows the River of Life. God’s wild and uncontrollable currents continuously transform and sanctify us. His still waters refresh and sustain us. [vi]

We may see ourselves darkened by sin and uncomely at present, but God sees us lovely. We may feel weathered, and rough, and full of crags and crevices, but He sees the splendor and glory of true beauty. I am dark, but lovely . . . like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. [vii]  

Life in Him is spiritual. It's breathtakingly grand.

Photo by Don Stouder on Unsplash

[i] Genesis 1

[ii] 2 Corinthians 4:6; John 1:4–5

[iii] AI Overview of the Grand Canyon; comments – Yelp, Tripadvisor, Reddit.com

[iv] Isaiah 60:1

[v] Exodus 13:21; Exodus 34:5

[vi] John 7:38–39; Revelation 22:1; Ezekiel 47:9; Psalm 23:2

[vii] Song of Solomon 1:5 – Pulpit Commentary