“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe,
is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”
—Albert Einstein

What do a minister, a country music star, and a world-renowned oncologist have in common?

Together we experienced the celestial wonder of the Northern Lights in a Nashville, TN night sky.

It came as a complete and marvelous surprise. Last spring, we were sitting outside on the terrace enjoying good food and better company. The conversation was lively. I got up to check on the chocolate dessert in the oven, and happened to glance up at the sky.

“Guys, something unusual is happening! The sky is lit up with pink, green, and wild ultraviolet beams of light.”

Since the beginning of time, creation has been awestruck by this rare and glorious sight. We have Cro-Magnum drawings of this celestial wonder dating back 30,000 years. Aurora photos captured by astronauts from the International Space station appear otherworldly. Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli said she looked out the window speechless. “I am amazed at how alive and beautiful our planet is.” The poet John O’ Donohue wrote, “The earth is full of thresholds where beauty awaits the wonder of our gaze.”

In Norse Mythology, it was believed the Aurora Borealis was a bridge made by the gods connecting earth to heaven. The New Zealand Maori called them ”torches in the sky.” But the Psalmist said it perfectly, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”[10]

My friends and I were gifted the glorious lights in Music City. In total silence we watched. Were we gazing into the heavens? Or was this an extraterrestrial activity? The doctor in the group googled this curious phenomenon. He informed us how rare for the Aurora Borealis to be made visible in our Southern night sky. What a marvelous serendipity.

The Northern Lights are intriguing and I always wanted to join the Aurora-chasers in Greenland, Iceland, or one of the Nordic countries to witness its glory. But lo and behold the “cosmic light show” came to my own backyard. Everyone got up from the table to take photos on our phones. We called our children, parents, and friends, shouting, “Get outside and look up!” We are constantly being offered a glimmer of glory to lift and transform our minds and spirits. We just need to slow down, set down our armor and see where heaven is breaking through.

NASA declared it one of the strongest solar storms in the last twenty years.[12] Scientifically, the sun (a nuclear fission reactor) regularly tosses off flares into the solar system. Solar winds blow them into the earth’s magnetic field. Once they mingle with our atmospheric gases, they transform into these jewel-tone ribbons of otherworldly light. I have National Geographic worthy photographs to prove it.

The word “wonder” is used at least a hundred times in the Bible. There are over 50 references to awe. God wants us to be regularly speechless by the magnificence of this created world.

One scientist proclaimed that there are always aurora borealis’s in our night skies. We just have to be tuned in to see them. The same could be said about sparks of hope constellating in life’s worst circumstances. Can we hold on long enough for them to save us? Either we become “glory chasers” in life or we shut down. I have done both in my lifetime. Such a difficult choice, especially as we are such tender beings, faced with many a treacherous storm over our lifetimes. It takes remarkable faith and even divine intervention to keep believing in redemption as a natural law in the Divine cosmos. Often salvation comes when another person calls to us in the dark vortex, telling us to “Look up,” and vice versa. We need each other to experience the fullness of this glorious cosmic drama.

Blaise Pascal said, “in difficult times, always carry something beautiful in your mind.” We must become collectors of beauty in any form. It’s our best defense against despair. The mission in life is to fill an invisible chest with treasures that will not fade or turn to dust. They become my proof and yours that we are part of something wondrous here. We feel more alive when we come in contact with astounding beauty. Auroras remind us that the earth is a magnificent theater for the sublime and divine. Maybe it’s time to set up the telescope in the backyard!

Holy One,

Now when I pray, I keep my eyes open.
Not to miss Your hands outstretched,
offering me gifts in every breath.
Sometimes they arrive in an inch of beauty that knocks me out.
Other times, it is so delicate, that if not careful,

I’ll miss the glint in the dark.

Powerful when the grace is received,
as a balm for my soul.
A smile cued at the perfect moment,
giving me what I need to carry on.
Help me stay awake!
There is glory everywhere.
Amen.