I went to see the sunset last night. I wasn’t planning on it. I went to Target to return some stuff, got really excited to see the Christmas decorations already up (and the fact that they actually said “Christmas”!), and so I had to get a warm drink from Starbucks to go with the created mood. I was perusing the sale section in the women’s clothes and was really excited to find some cheap summer dresses. Then, satisfied with my purchases, I left. This Target is kind of on a hill, and as I was walking out I could see a lot of the city, including the sunset. Living next to foothills, I have always meant to go find a spot to see the sunset, and right then felt like the perfect time. I was missing someone, so listening to the CD he made me, I drove off to see what I might find. It was a beautiful evening and I’m a sucker for cool weather, a clear sky, and good music to accompany a good drive, so I was loving life. I’ve lived in this city for three years and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t done this before. Driving along the foothills I finally found the spot. My breath had disappeared, and I was so excited that I just wanted to stop my car right there, but I had to keep going until I found a proper spot. None was to be found, so I just pulled off on a side street and got out of my car, eager not to miss the last of the radiant colors in the sky.
It’s crazy what being above the city does to you. Looking down over all the city lights, the cars, the freeway, the buildings, the tiny little people, reminds you that there is so much more than yourself. The sun setting just past all of this just felt like it was encompassing us all. I could see the Target that I was just at, and it looked like a long distance, but I had driven only five minutes away. Being there on that hilltop makes me feel like we are a lot closer than we recognize.
Before Target, I had another errand to run and was walking down the street, observing those around me. This city is very different than the white suburbia I come from, and it gives me a lot to think about. On the hilltop I found myself praying for the people I was walking by, because many looked lost, cold, alone. But the people where I come from have just as many issues. The issues look very different, and maybe aren’t as recognized, but they are there nonetheless. So that led me to pray for my hometown as well. God, let those people have this view. Let them see that there is more to life than their own circumstances. Help them not live their lives in vain, but live for a cause that is worth it. Helping out your neighbor, smiling at those that you pass by, giving your possessions away, knowing that there are people who need things more than you, who will be blessed by your kindness more than you could know. God, let us remember that our days are numbered, and we will have regrets at the end of it all, unless we live intentionally. How are you living today? The weeks fly by, it’s almost the end of 2011. Don’t forget that today is a gift! Please, pray for your family, pray for your neighbors, pray that where you live could be a community that would foster in you the desire to make today worth it.
