Isn’t It Obvious?

I need to ice a tendon on my foot.
There is no pain, but the ice will help.
The wonderful chiropractor that I go to suggested the best way to apply the ice.
It was an ingenious idea.

Put a water bottle in the freezer.
Roll your foot back and forth over the water bottle.
That will be the best way to get the cold where it needs to go.
Make sure the water is in the water bottle.

We both laughed.
I’m serious, he said.
I gave that instruction once and the patient took me literally.
He told me that the patient put the bottle in the freezer with no water in it.

I drove home and smiled at the water bottle story.
Isn’t it obvious? I asked myself.
Apparently not.
It was then I remembered my aunt.

My aunt never married.
She was a legal secretary for a good portion of her career.
She was not very domestic.
As my grandmother aged, she needed to live with my aunt.

My mother would visit my grandmother every day.
She would grocery shop for her, clean, and prepare meals to make sure that she ate properly.
My aunt reaped the benefit of my mother’s kindness.
However, reaping the benefit and learning to do it yourself were two different things.

After my mother died, my aunt had to quickly learn all the skills she never learned.
Sometimes, my aunt would call me and ask for cooking advice.
I remember one day in particular.
My grandmother, whose mind was failing, was grieving for her daughter who died before her.

She was not eating well.
My aunt wanted to do just about anything to get my grandmother to eat.
She decided to make Jello for her.
She called me early one morning to ask me how to make it.

I talked her through the easy steps.
She called me later that afternoon to ask me why the Jello had not gelled.
I went through the steps with her.
I did all of that, my aunt said, but it is still like water.

Did you put it in the refrigerator? I asked her almost ashamed to insinuate that missed step.
Oh, you never told me to do that, she said.
I tried to lessen the impact of her feelings of inadequacy.
She was grieving, too, and learning how to do many things she had never done before.

Put the water bottle in the freezer.
Isn’t it obvious that the water bottle should be filled?
Go through all the steps to make Jello.
Isn’t it obvious that you put the Jello in the refrigerator?

For some, things are not obvious.
For some, you must go step by step in a methodical way.
For some, you can’t assume anything.
For some, you cannot take anything for granted.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. (Psalm 19:1)

I saw a short video that I watched in awe.
A bubble had landed on top of a mound of snow.
The outside temperature was only 5 degrees.
I watched and I saw the wonders of God displayed before my eyes.

In just 1 minute and 27 seconds, the bubble had completely frozen over.
I watched as ice crystals formed methodically and perfectly.
I heard the voice of the person filming saying: Don’t pop.
The voice was quiet as if even a small decibel might pop the bubble accidentally.

There was no time lapse.
There was no camera tricks.
There was simply the majesty of God.
There was nature proclaiming the works of His hands.

Isn’t it obvious that God is majestic?
Isn’t it obvious that nature proclaims His glory?
Isn’t it obvious that everything points to God, our Creator?
Isn’t it obvious that everything is sustained by His hand?

We could not mimic His glory even if we tried.
We could never cover a bubble with an intricate frost pattern.
We would pop that delicate bubble in seconds.
We have no mastery over the wonders of nature.

Wonderment is ours.
Our wonderment points to Him.
We cannot explain the wonders of nature.
Some things are just for God to know; He is God and we are not.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Only God knows how He holds the universe in place.
Only God knows how to coat a delicate bubble with frost without popping it.
Only God knows the intricacies of all that He has made.
Only God.

Isn’t it obvious?

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