The River Looks Kinda Dirty

My beautiful wife and I just returned from a fantastic short trip to see one of the 7 natural wonders - the Grand Canyon. We drove from Vegas to the South Rim of the canyon filled with anticipation of the sight that would greet us. We had seen photos and pictures, but there is usually no real comparison between the panavision and the real vision. We parked the car, and headed for the view. What a view it was! Breath taking, awesome, vast, OMG, are poor word choices which flooded my mind when I stood there on the edge of this great chasm.



As far as the eye could see to the left was a carved landscape of varying colors and eroded layers of time etched out of this barren landscape. Looking to the right provided a similarly stunning vista with the only difference being the direction the river had carved its path. One thing that was striking was the flatness of the top of the canyon that bounded this abyss. There were no mountain peaks to see, there were only sheer cliff-side drops that drew the eye eventually to the river below. When I say below, I mean way way way below. At the South Rim (where we were), it is a vertical mile (or 5,000 feet) from the rim to the river (7 miles if you walked the trail). The canyon is approximately 10 miles across from South to North rims and the canyon has a total length of some 270 miles.

I was stunned. What other emotion could one possess at that moment? What other thought could go through your head as you gazed upon this sight?

Just as I was contemplating the view I heard a voice from my right hand side. A husband and wife stood about 10 feet away from me looking at the same view I was awestruck by. The husband points to the canyon floor and says, "Look honey, there is the river." to which the most amazing statement was given in reply. The wife, with all seriousness, responds to her husband with these unforgettable words, "It looks kinda dirty, doesn't it?"

I'm sorry, what did you just say? You are looking at one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and your main concern is the fact that from over a mile away it appears as if the water in the river may not be crystal clear! I wanted to reach out the right hand of fellowship and slap the love of Jesus into that woman, but I refrained.

How can you look at a view like that and only see dirty water?

The simple answer is that this lady could make this statement because she is human - and us humans have the incredible ability to miss the obvious majesty and glory of a creator God and only notice the dirty water at the very bottom of the picture. How often do we stand in the presence of the creator of the grand canyon and instead of looking in amazement and wonder at His beauty, only comment on the dirt of the water in the river.

Lord help us.