A month or so ago we held our first annual staff retreat at the Crocker family home on the shores of beautiful Lake Anna. We had a great time: wonderful food and close fellowship—not to mention just plain fun. I particularly enjoyed watching the children fish and John’s boat tour of the lake—including a trip all the way to the nuclear reactor that is cooled by the lake’s water.
My favorite part of the weekend, though, happened on Friday night. After a super-sub-sandwich-supper (the best sub I have ever eaten) and a couple hours of card games like Apples to Apples and Split (made all the more fun by the children’s participation) — at Jennifer’s suggestion, we all headed down to the dock to look at the stars. She promised that, without the glare of the city, we’d see the stars as we had never seen them before.
So, we all laid on our backs on the floating dock, looked up, and Jennifer was right. Even without the help of gravity, my jaw dropped at the breath-taking beauty of the cosmos above. Distant suns, planets—even the star clouds of our Milky Way galaxy—shown clear and bright. It was almost like looking through the Hubble telescope itself! At first the dock was full of statements like, “Look at that!” or “Where’s the big dipper?” But soon all that could be heard was the lapping of the water on the shore as a holy hush descended around us. We stayed there for a long time just taking in the grandeur of God’s stellar creation.
I must confess—those star-gazing moments made the weekend a literal “retreat” for me—because they helped me to relax and rest by reminding me that God is infinitely greater than my burdens or problems—greater than the calamities and crises we hear about on the nightly news. God is great! Verses like these flooded my mind:

“The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1)
“O Lord God Almighty, who is like You? You are mighty, O Lord, and Your faithfulness surrounds You.” (Psalm 89:8)
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, Almighty! The whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3)
“How great are God’s signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:3)

Are you dealing problems that seem mountain-sized? Perhaps you experience anxiety when you compare the size of your bank account to the height of the pile of bills on your desk or you worry about a doctor’s diagnosis. Maybe your career or your relationships are a constant source of stress.
Listen—take my advice. Get far enough away from the glare of your woes to see God more clearly. Go some place where you can be reminded that God is great—and that He loves you—loves you enough to work in all things for your good.
I recommend the dock at the Crocker’s house—but you needn’t drive that far. Any quiet place will do.

Keep the SON in your eyes!