The Wonder of God's Creations

Today my family left Lake Powell and headed to Bryce Canyon, making sure to stop by Zion's Canyon.

And we made sure to drive through Granddaddy's birthplace Kanab to get there!

Actually, there was a lot of family history going on. Dad's attended the Pratt Family Reunions in Zion since he was a kid. He told us stories from when he was a teenager. Also, apparently our Great-Granddaddy and Granny Pratt once got caught in a flash flood while they were camping there! They survived by climbing trees and it was a week before they were rescued. Wish I knew more about that story.

Also...Granny and Granddaddy AND Mom and Dad honeymooned in Bryce Canyon. I took a picture of Mom and Dad at the cabin where they honeymooned 30 years ago!

Lake Powell, Zion's Canyon, and Bryce Canyon are all their own kind of unearthly gorgeous. It's amazing. I loved them all, but I was especially impressed by Bryce. I think it's made my top 10 list of the most beautiful places in the world.

Lake Powell

Horseshoe Bend (near Lake Powell)

Zion's Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Seeing these places (and California last week), I was struck by the great beauty of this place God has made for us. And the diversity too. There are so many different ways the Earth can be beautiful. He is infinitely creative. And He made it all for us.

Then tonight after dark, we went back to the canyon rim to watch the stars. There were SO many! They are having an astronomy festival here this weekend, and they call it "the last great sanctuary of natural darkness". We even caught a glimpse of the Milky Way.

Nothing like the immensity of space to remind you of how infinite God's creations are! So many stars... so many worlds... so many children! It's easy to feel small. But as Pres. Uchtdorf says,

"And while we may look at the vast expanse of the universe and say, “What is man in comparison to the glory of creation?” God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind.8 In other words, the vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.

This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation—worlds without end—within our grasp. And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it."

I know that's true. God loves each one of us more than we can ever comprehend. He sent His Son to suffer for our sins and die for us so we could return home. We are never lost in the shuffle to Him--He knows and loves us just as deeply as He would if each one of us were His only child.

And all of this beauty... It's for us. He wants us to enjoy it.