Recently I've been struggling for words to describe certain feelings or experiences. Over the last three years, this blog has followed me to all corners of the earth - starting in the Serengetti, making it's way to Jamaica, Australia and Jordan, and most recently finding it's way to Europe and into the alps. I've grown more comfortable in translating certain thoughts to words, but there are still those experiences that seem impossible to verbalize. At times I've felt the urge to try and paint a picture or even make up new lyrics to a song - but it's still not always possible to capture the moment.

Sometimes I think I focus too much on trying to 'define' my experience with God. My relationship with Christ has changed my life like nothing else has, and I tend to have this feeling of needing to adequately express it publicly. It has made such a difference for me that it would be silly for me to keep that all to myself. But as I was listening to a song today, I was reminded that sometimes we don't need to constantly find new ways to praise God and share that experience with others. The lyrics go:

Can I accept that in a world of changes
You're not impressed with something new
If I don't understand the language of a heart that's after you

Can I put my pride aside and learn to sing in time with someone else's praises
I love you, I love you, I love you and nothing new
I love you, I love you, I love you and nothing new

As I catch this travel bug, I try to remind myself that with so many different cultures, views, people, places, foods, stories, and means of worship in the world - coming up with a new way of praising God does not impress God simply because it is new. Instead, he is impressed when we sincerely cry out from the language of our heart that we can do nothing more but love. Sure that will be different for each of us, but it is the sincerity that matters, not the fact that it is new. I have begun to find that language of my heart through this blog, and the more I write, the more sincere my posts have become.

As I've had the brief opportunity to do some hiking in the alps, I've had numerous moments where I've felt that there needs to be a way to capture the moment in it's entirety. Perhaps I've been searching too much for a new way of explaining that moment though. When I really sit and think about it - the message is so simple - it is God's way of saying "I love you" right back to me. It's amazing that I can focus so much attention on trying to re-word the feeling of love I have towards God, but in all that searching and writing and painting, I sometimes overlook the simple message that God is writing back, he loves me even more than I love him.

The song has another lyric in it:

Can I learn to be amazed by you

It's funny that we sometimes have to 'learn' to be amazed, you would think that that is something that just happens. But perhaps in this world of constant change, we complicate things too much and miss the simple moments of amazement and awe.

My pastor up at State College uses the term 'aweful' quite a lot - how can we learn to recognize those moments that fill us with awe?

It's always easy to find those moments of awe when you're traveling through the alps, and I am quite grateful for all the people and moments that have allowed me to travel to places like this, but I hope to learn to recognize the moments of amazement outside of these magnificent mountains. God is always finding innovative ways of telling each and every one of us that he loves us fully and unconditionally. Have we learned to open our hearts and ears enough to be able to hear that message though?