The Room with a Rim View

Reva Lachica Moore

In our many travels, as we drive along country sides or crowded cities and I’d spot a certain type of house, I’d point to it and play a “Question and Answer” game with J.R. I would usually ask the questions.
“How’d you like to live there?”
“Nope!”
“How about there? How would you like to live there?”
“Nope!”
I’d wait a while and after an hour or so, I’d spot another house and my questioning would resume.
“How’d you like to live there?”
“Absolutely not! Who would live in a God-forsaken place like that?”
Then I’d chuckle. Glancing at J.R., I’d see his lips curve into a forced smile. Then I’d ask, “Didn’t you say you’d live with me wherever I choose to live on this earth?”
“But you don’t live there,” he answers. Then we’d both laugh.
I usually ask these questions while pointing to houses with varied sizes and looks. Most are small. Some shacks. Some with yards littered with junk like old cars. A few are exceptionally nice. Once in a while when I’d see a nice town, I’d ask the same question. Every once in a while J.R.’s answer would be: “Maybe.” But most often, “Nope!”
Last week while driving along the Mojave Desert, we saw a mansion-looking house on the side of a hill. I asked the same question and got the same answer—“Nope!”
I realized then that the main reason why J.R. doesn’t want to live in the houses I had pointed to is because the houses are isolated. They’re in the middle of a desert. Or on top of a mountain. On the side of a cliff. In the middle of a field. Alone. With barren or ugly surroundings. No neighbors in sight. And miles away from towns.
We both realized how blessed we are to have a comfortable home with a big yard, many trees, and around neighbors. When we see these isolated houses, we wonder how people could live in them. We also knew that even Christ, when He lived on this earth, didn’t live in a mansion. He lived the poor life of a carpenter.
Matthew 8:20 says… “And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
And though there was no room in the inn for Jesus during His birth, because of God’s love for us, He wants us to live comfortably and in beautiful places.
During our recent trip to the Grand Canyon, we had planned to drive to the North Rim after a three-day stay in the South Rim. Two weeks before our trip, J.R. checked the Internet and made phone calls for three successive days to reserve a room at the North Rim’s Grand Canyon Lodge. Each day was a disappointment. He realized he had acted too late. A cabin in the Lodge had to be reserved 6 months to 2 years ahead of time. Upon seeing J.R.’s disappointment, I suggested that he make another phone call and say these words: “Would there be one in a million chances that you would have a room for me?”
While J.R. dialed, I breathed a prayer asking God to give us a room, for the other accommodations were an hour or so away.
“Really? You have a vacancy?” I heard J.R. ask, and then he nodded at me.
We didn’t have a hard time finding a hotel room in the South Rim of the Canyon. We stayed there for three days. The view was simply breathtaking!
From the South Rim, the drive to the North Rim took 4 hours. But the many miles of the scenic Vermillion Cliffs along the way awed us; we didn’t notice the time.
At the Grand Canyon Lodge, J.R. went straight to the counter to ask for our cabin. The receptionist asked how long ago did J.R. reserve the cabin and how did he get one with a “rim” view. When he answered, “Two weeks,” the receptionist said there must have been a cancellation. She told us to come back an hour later. The cabin wasn’t ready.
To pass the time we decided to view the Canyon. Many people sat on the spacious veranda taking in its awesome beauty. Others walked the narrow paths to overlooks with railings. Next to the Lodge was a beautiful cabin. I took a picture of it and said, “God, it would surely be nice to have a cabin like that.”
Back at the Lodge, the lady gave us our cabin key (#301). Surprisingly, it was the same cabin I took a picture of earlier. A porter brought in our luggage and asked, “Did you know that to get this cabin, you have to reserve it 3 years in advance? There are only two cabins with porches overlooking the North Rim.”
We were stunned but thankful. Folks who passed by our cabin commented that indeed we had the best view.
And so I asked J.R. the same question.
“How’d you like to live here?”
“Absolutely yes! Who wouldn’t like to have a backyard like that?”
As we sat on rocking chairs watching the sunset from our cabin porch, we thanked God for His amazing handiwork—a creation, which no man can ever reproduce. One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long with an average of 10 miles in width and an average of 1 mile in depth. Its magnitude and unsurpassed beauty tells of a very powerful and loving God.