Recapturing the practice of beholding

My wife and I recently drove to Portland, Oregon to spend time with our friends for our anniversary vacation. One of the highlights from our last visit to gloomy Oregon, was our adventure at Cannon Beach and laying our eyes upon Haystack Rock. The sun was out, the wind was blowing, the sand was everywhere, and our kites were flying high! The sun illuminating Haystack Rock was certainly a sight to see. We knew we had to come back to this place the next time we visited, and we sure did! However, this visit to Haystack was vastly different...

It was a very warm and sunny day on August 1oth, 2024...until it wasn't. As the late afternoon hours arrived, the warmth said goodbye and was replaced with a slow roll of chilly dense fog. We were all expressing our disappointment, as we were looking forward to watching the sunset on the beach. We decided to take a walk on the beach anyway, partly due to a rambunctious golden named, Wren, who needed to let out her "zoomies".

As we stumbled our way across the shoreline of Cannon Beach, the eerie figure of Haystack Rock began to peak through the fog. At first, this icon of Oregon was merely a subtle outline. It's appearance was straight out of an alien sci-fi movie and it sent chills down my spine. The logical part of my brain knew that there was a massive rock figure before me, but the imaginative part of my brain continued to tell a different story of this colossal shadow in the distance.

The closer we got, another shadow began to appear. This one, however, was quite small. After another 30 seconds of walking, it became clear that this small shadow was a person. Another few steps told us that this person was sitting in a lawn chair! Another few steps told us that this person was sitting alone, in a lawn chair, positioned to stare intently at Haystack Rock wrapped in fog. At first, I kind of chuckled to myself. That chuckle then turned into admiration which then evolved into wonder. I thought to myself, "I want to become more like this person."

This odd scene that took place on our Cannon Beach walk, reminded me of the word, "behold". Our culture doesn't really honor this word or the practice of it. We're too busy to behold. We're too distracted to behold. We're too focused on our egos, achievements, and chasing after the next thing to behold.

Yet, there is a God and a beautiful world that this God has placed us in that is worth our time to behold.

To behold is to think deeply about.

To behold is to give our undivided attention.

To behold is to find joy in setting your soul's gaze upon something.

To behold is to acknowledge that the reward is right in front of you, rather than something to be chased after.

To behold is to sit in silence with another and become overwhelmed with gratitude just to be in their presence.

Do you practice beholding God?

I sure don't as often as I'd like. I'm too busy telling other people what to think about God, what is wrong in their thinking about God, and doing for God.

I'm too busy chasing after the correct way of thinking about truth rather than encountering truth in the flesh.

John 1:29, "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

I want to be like John the Baptist, when seeing Jesus from a distance, invites himself and the crowds, "Behold, the Lamb of God...".

I wonder what the Spirit could do within us if we made more margin in our lives to simply behold Him.

I wonder how differently we would experience our day if we paused throughout the day to behold the beauty of God.

I wonder if we would begin to shift our attention away from what God can do for us and toward God's presence with us.

This wouldn't be a reflection from Ryan without a John Mark Comer quote, so here it is!

John Mark Comer reflects in his latest book, Practicing the Way,

"the reward for following Jesus, is Jesus".

Embodying this statement looks like the practice of beholding. The good news is not escaping the pain of our reality, but God stepping into our pain and showing us what reality actually is. The good news is that we get full access to God right now. The good news is that God is not distant, but readily available to be enjoyed right now. The good news is that God doesn't just spew expectations of morality from the clouds, but actually steps into our space. God has a face. God is a person. God has a name. His name is Jesus.

This Jesus is enough. This Jesus is the reward. This Jesus eliminates the chase for more. This Jesus is worthy to behold.

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

May you recapture the practice of beholding this week as you find your favorite lawn chair, position it toward the face of God, and set your soul's gaze upon the beauty of His presence.

Haystack Rock is surely a sight to see, but we have the God of the Universe at the tips of our fingertips that we're going to need a lifetime of opportunities to behold.

Peace,

Ryan