A Panorama of Panama/A Choice in Change

On my way back to Uruguay, I had a 24-hour layover in Panama City. I took the opportunity to check out some of the streets and, of course, witness the Panama Canal at work! 

Something that I marveled at was the incredibly high cost for ships to traverse through the canal. When you factor in the only other alternative, however (going all the way around the bottom of South America through treacherous waters), the time and money it takes to go through the canal seems minuscule. 

It's a toll well worth paying...a sacrifice well worth making! 

As I contemplate this new season of life where I commit to a longer period of time in a place that's not my original home (and accept all the challenges that come with that), I'm confident that the effort is worth it. Sure, there are things that I've chosen to give up, but I've also embraced what I gain! When I think of the alternatives, I am comforted by the Lord that what I'm doing and with whom I'm doing it is the right fit. He's been giving me this peace amidst the unknown and unorthodox. There's plenty that's happening that's not how I would have planned it or imagined it, but I am choosing to trust God in the change while I remain raw and honest with Him. I find myself echoing the plea to Jesus of a desperate father of an afflicted son, "I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).

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Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

 The Canal

Perusing

I've recently had the opportunity to visit beautiful Peru and behold just some of the marvelous natural and unnatural wonders it holds! It may be cliché, but I genuinely couldn't take my mind off God and giving Him the praise He deserves for it when I stood before the grandeur! Paul was right in Romans - the created world proclaims the eternal qualities of God. And the remarkable works of man - ancient and modern - demand our amazement at the ingenuity, creativity and skill that is required! The man-made marvels are loud reminders to me that we must have gotten it from Someone. The ways in which we reflect our Creator (whether we like Him or not) being made in His image are astounding and huge evidence for His existence. Creation, including us, teaches a lot about who God is.

God’s nature teaches us about God’s nature (what He made shows us who He is.)

From meditating on this, I came up with 7 attributes of God learned from creation that we can praise Him for. Perfect number right? You’ll also be thrilled to learn that, as luck would have it, I was able to fashion them into a perfect acronym so you can remember them...COWPIG. My preaching professor from seminary would be so proud of me! So you can remember the attributes from what God’s made with an animal that He did not! But wait, some of you accountants have noticed that there are only 6 letters, but 7 attributes…yeah the C is going to stand for 2! :)
 

God is a God of...
1.    Creativity
Eph 2:10 NLT, "For we are God's masterpiece..."

2.    Complexity
Job 11:7 NIV, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?”

3.    Order
1 Cor 14:33 NLT, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace...”

4.    Wisdom
Job 38:4-6 MSG, "Where were you when I created the earth? Tell me, since you know so much! Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that! Who came up with the blueprints and measurements? How was its foundation poured, and who set the cornerstone?"

5.    Power
Rom 1:20 NIV, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

6.    Immanence (Intimate Involvement)
Col 1:17 NASB, "In Him all things hold together."

7.    Grace
Acts 14:17 NIV,  “Yet He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

Matt 5:45 ESV,  “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”  

Lima

Miraflores Lighthouse at Love Park

Basilica of San Francisco

Archbishop's Palace

Santo Domingo Convent

Ollantaytambo

After meeting on the train, Edwin from Guatemala and I hung out all day en route and at Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu

Cusco

Trying bacon-wrapped alpaca steak!

Plaza de Armas

The roof of the San Francisco de Asis Convent

There were catacombs too, but I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the bones!