Today I am pleasantly reminded of the beauty and healing power of nature. I set out to my favorite park to decompress and enjoy the stillness of Mother Nature.
I’m reminded as I lay here on the grass (with my pretty picnic blanket!) how I should do this more often. I love being in nature – why don’t I get out and enjoy it more!?
Nature heals. It restores us and reminds us of the goodness of God, His great plans for us, and how much He loves us.
We can quickly find peace, rest, and stillness in the calming of the grass, trees, moving brush. No striving, expecting, waiting. Just being.
We’re so abundantly blessed to have been given this amazing gift, and how often we forget to bask in its refreshment.
I have always loved and been mystified by the natural world, as I shared more about here. When I behold a beautiful scene in nature, I truly feel God’s love for me. I receive it in these natural wonders that He created and left for me to enjoy.
How good our God is to leave us this wonderful gift, with its giving, loving, healing powers.
We are always seeking new, hot-off-the-shelf remedies to help our ailments. But what if – what if God has poured many more ingredients of healing than we are aware of into the earth’s resources? I’m not talking about homeopathic remedies, though I believe in those immensely. I’m talking about nature’s power to calm, soothe, and comfort our tired, restless, antsy minds and spirits.
As I sit here amid the grass, the trees, the water, I’m soothed and comforted. I can be still, feel my breathing. I don’t have have to rush anywhere or worry about what I need to do. I don’t have to hear the bustle of downtown or battle the rat race. I don’t have to listen to the cacophony of today’s news. I can slow my mind and heart, becoming aware of the buzzing of crickets and other organisms in the thicket next to me. The leaves are moving with the breeze. I can feel the texture of the grass.
Thank you, Jesus, for the grace of being able to relish in nature’s paradise.
Thank you for this beautiful gift, one I only had to drive 20 minutes to encounter. I receive this gift, Jesus, and feel calm, peaceful, and worry-free. I understand the reality of how much you love me in this place.
In this busy, crazy world, we all need reminders that genuine goodness still exists on our planet. That there are many good things in life given by a good giver who enjoys giving them. When was the last time you took the risk of believing–in your heart–that God is good?
It matters, ya know.
I didn’t always quite understand this, but I am learning more and more—that when I believe in my heart that God is good, the eyes I see with, and the perspective I have, change…for the better.
I love to behold nature and be drawn into God’s intimacy through it. In it, I feel as though I’m looking at a footprint of God, His expression, His image, His likeness.
danielle knight
Nature helps me believe in this goodness. I love to behold nature and be drawn into God’s intimacy through it. In it, I feel as though I’m looking at a footprint of God, His expression, His image, His likeness. I can see His heart in creation as a gift to mankind, God’s love poured out for us in resplendent, natural things.
When we’re struggling, or feel lifeless or unmotivated, we can come back to these life-giving places to be refreshed and renewed. God can love and rejuvenate us through nature. He can heal us in the stillness of an open field or inspire us amid the thrashing waters of a waterfall. He can breathe life anew into us to remind us that life is good. That we always have a good Father who loves us and will never abandon us.
This all-consuming, never-ending love is painted in the natural places surrounding us. So, the next time we are suffering in any way, we can turn to the earth as therapy. It’s available in abundance and is always inexpensive, if not mostly free.
Just let go and let God’s natural paradise freshen you up into a ‘new you’ when you most need it.
I’m so grateful that I took this little adventure of rest in nature today. As I wrap my time up, I can see a few kids running wildly and enjoying the park. They are frolicking and exploring in ultimate childlikeness.
You and I used to enjoy these simple pleasures and gifts of life all the time when we were younger. Adulthood has taught us how to achieve, master, and do, but we often forget how to just be. When we were six or seven, we knew how to forget about everything, run outside, and play with sticks or in the trees. I used to make mud pies in the backyard while my mom did yard work.
I pray today for the grace for all of us to become more like children who can enjoy the simple joys of life.
So, friends, whenever you can, I urge you – go be loved in the natural beauty God left for you. Leave your worries at home and run like a kid through the trees, bask in a field of grass, and let the sun shine on you.
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