Geysers, Hot Springs, Mudpots, and Fumaroles

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​Heather and I spent the last week in Wyoming camping and hiking in Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. There is much to see and explore in nature outside of North Carolina, so if you ever get the chance to go out west, do it! Yellowstone National Park is over 2.2 million acres in size. The scenery is essentially indescribable, but the most interesting part about Yellowstone is the fact that over 10,000 hydrothermal features are located within the park. Geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles, are all types of hydrothermal features. Hydrothermal features act like hot tubs, except the bottom is not a tub, it's literally the earth's crust! The earth's "plumbing system" pushes scalding hot water (~200 degrees Fahrenheit) out of these openings due to fluctuations in pressure that create a fountain-like effect. Heather and I viewed as many of these hydrothermal features as we could from a distance, but we couldn't help but notice all of the signs that said "DANGER! KEEP OUT!"

The water that comes out of these hydrothermal features is extremely hot because it's heated by magma from the earth's crust. This got me thinking...what's your heat source? In Romans 15: 5-6, Paul challenges all Christians. He says, "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." We know this is hard to do, especially if we aren't "boiling" with Christ inside our hearts. Like a hydrothermal feature, our exterior motives can be dangerous if our interior boils too hot. 

Many Christians spend their whole lives saying they love Jesus, but they don't really feel it. The best way to feel the love of Jesus is by observing the work of the Holy Spirit in others and searching for it in yourself. Hydrothermal features can be dangerous, but if observed properly, they are a beautiful sign of God's creation. If we bubble and steam to the surface filled with Jesus and His love, we are the most beautiful of God's wondrous creations.

-Jacob

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