Last week a group of six deer decided to spend the day grazing in an open field behind our house. We had a downpour all day, yet the deer persisted in staying out in the open, grazing, investigating and sleeping . . . in the rain. I thought it made more sense to find shelter and I wondered what the deer knew that I didn't.
And then I remembered what nature felt like when I was a little girl. I loved the wind and when we had a windy day I made the most of it. I remember adults encouraging me to come in out of the weather. Instead I'd head outdoors and simply run, reveling in the sensation of my long hair being caught up and blown about my face. I'd stop from time to time and turn into the invisible power of the wind, close my eyes and allow it to caress my skin, feeling the energy and untarnished honesty of it. Sometimes I'd take an umbrella with me and open it up, capturing the wind inside the small dome and then run, exhilarated by the strength of something I couldn't see.
In my reminiscing I considered how many times I splashed through puddles or stood in the rain, feeling the splattering wetness and tasting the purity of water that fell from the sky--God's shower. Do you remember?
Observe children. Life is filled with firsts. They relish discovery, and enjoy the simple things in life. The things of God.
When was the last time you purposely stood in a breeze and tasted the pleasure of it? Or listened to the sound of tree boughs blowing in the wind? Or stood in the rain just because? Or buried your toes in the sand? Has it been a long time since you've strolled through a field and picked wild flowers? Or sat on your porch and listened to the birds sing?
We say that we're too busy for such foolishness. No. When we're busy that's when we most need to stop and treasure the gifts of God and allow them to refresh our spirits.
Take a time out. Be a kid again. Lay in the grass and smell its sweetness. And don't complain about the inconvenience of freshly fallen snow. A child wouldn't do that.
Nature is never ordinary. It's always something more. God's splendor, perhaps?
Grace and peace to you from God.
Bonnie
Great reminder, Bonnie.
ReplyDeleteGod blessed us with a spectacular light show two nights ago. The lightning was better then fireworks and the thunder -- one long rattling drumroll. I was suitably impressed. My dog was not. Poor boy pinned me down on the bed and buried his head under the covers! I can't blame him, I swear the house shook.
As I lay there, comforting him and watching the storm raging outside my window, I felt the stirrings of a whisper and realized that while everything in my life right now might be as volatile as that storm, I could choose to cower like my poor pooch or face it all with the peace and calm of the Lord.
I realized I'd been doing too much cowering lately and it hasn't gotten me anywhere. I can't do anything about the raging storms, but I can do something about how I live through them.
All this to say that I often find God's truth in nature when I stop and appreciate it.
Kav,
ReplyDeleteI love thunderstorms, especially those in the spring because there is no fire danger. Of course here on the west coast our storms are very calm compared to what the Midwest and east coast states experience.
And what a perfect picture of your dog during the storm. That's exactly how we often are. It's a comfort to know that God is always with us not just on bright sunny days but during the storms as well.
Grace and peace to you.