Bubbles in the breeze...

In just an instant, there were bubbles everywhere.

With a little help from a battery-operated bubble-making machine, my two-year old was more than capable of filling the backyard with hundreds of those shiny, sudsy spheres.

Yet the bubbles – lighter than air and with absolutely nothing to hide – found no strength in numbers, especially in the face of a late April breeze. As soon as they were created, they were pushed by the gentle winds. Many collapsed under the pressure from this unseen source, disappearing as quickly as they had arrived.

Sure, a few bubbles overachieved, and rode the breeze, at least for a while. Some of those went as far as the oak tree by the propane tank, but most hit the side of the car or were simply driven to the ground. All they left behind was a soapy sheen on the rocks; the only remnant of their existence, and one that would soon evaporate in the sun and wind.

Yet, the little blonde-haired bubble-maker remained undaunted by the fragile state of the floating spheres. She continued to fill the backyard air with bubbles and giggles. In fact, I think her knowledge of the bubbles’ fragile state even heightened her desire to create them. Bubble after bubble, smile after smile, she proudly continued on, with wide eyes and happy feet.

From my perch in a nearby lawn chair, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her manufacturing so much of her own joy, which seemed so easy for her to do. Soon, I tried to focus in on one small part of that joy – one bubble – from its creation to its demise, against the side of my car. In all, it “lived” (for lack of a better term) for about 15 seconds.

As I watched its fragile life pass before my very eyes, I was reminded of the words of Psalm 103: “The wind blows over it, and it is gone” writes the Psalmist in verse 16. “And its place remembers it no more.”

Stacked up against eternity, our earthly existence is like a bubble in the breeze. Yet, still, we ARE created. Our very existence is fashioned by a Creator who knows our frailty; a Creator who sees right through us; a Creator who made us to shine for His pleasure, and a Creator who finds great joy in His Creation. Again and again.

Let’s pray we find just as much joy, and value, in having been created.