"But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind." – Job 12:7-10 (ESV)
Recently, while on a getaway to Estes Park with our twins, we noticed six large moose resting beneath a grove of trees not far from our hiking trail, their massive antlers alerting us to their presence. Another family saw them, too, and began taking pictures from a safe distance. But it was interesting to see the cars that simply flew by on the nearby roadway. Hadn't they noticed this once-in-a-lifetime sight? Were they too busy to stop? How could you not stop?
If you are captivated by the sight of a fuzzy, baby gosling...the sound of hummingbirds zooming for the feeder...or the sweet song of birds in early morning, then this blog is for you. If you stop in amazement at the slanting rays of sunlight in the midst of a deep woods...if you want to simply stare as baby robins-turned-fledglings leave the nest...if the wings of a bee or dragonfly grab your attention...if the trill of a frog in a pond makes you stop walking and look...if these things, and many more, make the world fall away for you, then you and I are very much alike, dear reader-friend. And we find it easy to believe in miracles, too.
By his example, my father taught my sister and me to appreciate nature from our earliest memories. He even pitched a tent in a wilderness and held a summer kids' camp where we were taken on hikes of all kinds. The ones that took place at night seemed to bring us closer to the sky, the stars, the hush of the forest creatures, and opened our hearts wide to our great Creator God.
This splendid month of June, I hope you'll make time to get away from the busyness of life to hear birdsong fill the air, to find beauty in a pristine meadow, to soak up the tranquility of a dense woods while small creatures scamper about, and most of all, to find a place to be alone with God in nature. It is the surest way to alleviate stress, I promise.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads, and a happy first month of summer to everyone else!
Beverly Lewis
