When is the last time you “became as a child” and allowed yourself to experience the wonder and awe of not only the grandeur of your world, like the night time sky or the lighting in a storm, but actually stopped to admire the tiniest insects or smallest flower on your path? Experts tell us that as our worlds become filled with the routines and distractions of life, adults lose their sense of wonder. It simply disappears when a person is trapped by his or her day to day existence and routines, leaving little room for the unexpected. Adults can be resistant to simply living in and enjoying the present moment because of their need to control life and to understand the implications of what they are seeing and feeling.
Where do you go when you want to find tranquility and peace? Someone has said that “nature restores mental functioning in the same way food and water restore our bodies.” Would you choose to sit in a garden or by a quiet stream or walk in a redwood forest or on a mountain path? Perhaps your place of reflection and calm might be on a beach where the mighty ocean waves remind you of an Almighty God. How often do you take advantage of going outside in actuality or in your thoughts to simply reflect on the glory and beauty in His creation that God has given to us to enjoy?
There is no question that in the present challenges of our lives there is a wonderful opportunity to let God nourish our souls through revealing to us His power and wisdom as seen in the beauty of nature. To know that HE IS STILL GOD when life feels out of control and our normal routines are interrupted is consolation that all of us need. To see that HIS majesty and glory are not diminished by a pandemic is a solid foundation on which we can continue to live our lives. To take delight in HIM through HIS creation can fill our souls with His peace and restore to us the joy and hope that He wants to give us in abundance. What are you choosing to focus on and enjoy today?
