Yes, the aquarium is clean, but with one less fish to enjoy the better environment. It seems that before I had a chance to get the cover in place one of the fish took a leap and landed on the carpet below. By the time I got to him he was a goner. I wonder -- if people drown in water, could we say that fish drown in air? Inquiring minds want to know!

I'm with you. I also wish that God would make Himself more obvious. A great deal of His creative effort in the universe had been done before there were human eyes to watch. What He continues to do today seems to be done in such a way that He keeps Himself out of the spotlight and very much behind the scenes.

Why is God less than obvious? Good question. I've given it considerable thought. There must be some significant benefits for God to remain largely hidden from us; otherwise I assume He would do it differently.

Could it be that if God were more obvious about His existence He would be too imposing a presence for us to have the freedom to be ourselves? For instance, it's difficult to measure the working habits and dedication of an employee as long as the boss is looking over the person's shoulder. Let the boss be out of sight for awhile and you get a far more accurate picture of what the worker is like.

The same principle holds true with a couple who are deeply in love with each other but who must be apart for awhile. Either one of two old adages will prove true; "absence makes the heart grow fonder" or "out of sight, out of mind." Perhaps God has backed off just enough to give us mere mortals the freedom to ignore Him or to draw nearer to Him. Love can't be forced. My understanding of God is that He deeply loves us but that He has given us our "space" so that a relationship with Him is by our choice and not by His coercion.

The challenge is to keep from forgetting about God in the middle of our busy and challenging lives, for He rarely imposes Himself on us. He tends to be a God who whispers His presence instead of shouting it.

I have another thought on this subject of God's less than obvious presence, but I'm out of time for now. I'll write again soon.

It's close to dinner time and the sun's casting its long shadows over the frigid snow. It won't take long at all for those shadows to spread to total darkness, so I need to get out to my chicken coop and gather what few eggs there may be. If I leave the eggs until morning they'll be frozen solid with a big crack from one end to the other. Dead fish and frozen eggs: don't I have interesting hobbies?

A fellow seeker after truth,

Dave