Magic Moments


     The air was frigid and sharp. At 10 degrees below zero, a deep breath taken would cause a burning in the chest, and as I pushed through the twenty-four inches of powdery snow, I found myself taking short, shallow gasps of air to avoid the icy chill in my lungs. Dawn was still a few minutes away, and in the hazy shadows I saw fleeting ghosts silently vanish even as I strained my eyes to see if they were the images of my elusive quarry. I walked silently, my Remington 700BLD 7mm magnum resting comfortably across my left arm and my right hand on the stock with one nervous finger close to the trigger. Looking to my right, far down the steep bluff lay the Snake River, heavily shrouded in an icy morning mist. The river moved slowly, delayed by ice floes, as if not anxious to wend itself through this most scenic area of the Jackson Hole Valley of Western Wyoming.
     The trees of the dense forest were heavily muffled by the thick coating of snow, and the silence was incredible. Standing still and listening intently, I could hear my own heart as it beat the steady cadence of life. I followed the trail of elk further, until I reached a crest in a rise of the land where I was able to see a stunning panorama. Before me lay the entire mountain range within the Grand Teton National Park. The mountain range lies in a north/south direction, and at that very moment the morning sun had just begun to illuminate the very top of Grand Teton Peak. In the shadowy darkness below the peak lay the Snake River, pushing its way south toward the town of Jackson.
     I was struck by the sharp contrast between the sunlit peak and the dark valley below. I laid my rifle down, found a fallen tree, and sat down to watch the sunrise as it dropped its curtain of light from the mountain peak to the valley and river below. Nearly an hour later, I resumed my hunt, but not before I had experienced one of the true magic moments of my life. The beauty and peace of that morning I will remember forever.
     Hopefully, we have all experienced “magic moments” in our lives…those moments, those instances, those times when everything was absolutely perfect. So also can these experiences be in our spiritual walk with God. The time of our last great blessing, the moment of wonderful healing, the thrilling moment when we received the baptism of the Holy Spirit…each is a magic moment in our relationship with our Creator. The memory of His touch should be cherished and can give us strength in those moments of weakened faith. As the days begin to slip by, we can remember with joy and gladness the every growing number of magic moments He has given us. The Psalmist David wrote beautifully in Psalms 63: 6-7:

“When I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches…
Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.”