Jul 26 2009

Without Excuse

Gap Creek 028A couple of days ago I went to Middlesboro, Kentucky, for a photo assignment.  I was asked by the owners of Cumberland Gap Mountain Spring Water to come over and take a number of images for a magazine article and for their website.  During the course of the day we drove over to the creek which is the actual source of their water.  I took a number of pictures of the staff and their product at the creek.  At one point there was a lull in the action so I took a few images of just the creek (the image here is one of them).

While I was doing this, Neil Barry, a friend and my family physician, stopped by to talk.  As we looked at the beautiful setting and enjoyed the music of the stream, Neil made the comment, “I don’t know how anyone can look at a place like this and not believe that there is a God.”   That is a sentiment I have heard many people express over the years.  A lot of folks find strong evidence for God in Creation itself.

The apostle Paul was one of those persons. In Romans 1:20 he wrote: “Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.  So they are without excuse.”   I know that there are certainly many people who refuse to acknowledge God’s existence for one reason or another, but I concur with Paul.  I cannot help but believe that there is plenty of evidence in Creation itself for people to affirm the existence of God.  Those who fail to do so are “without excuse.”  Furthermore, they are missing out on an opportunity to not just witness the beauty of the world around them but to enjoy a relationship with the One who made it all.  It is sad that God has worked so hard to make Himself known to us through His Creation and His Son and yet so many people fail to discover Him.  They really don’t know what they are missing!

–Chuck