Luke 19:10 “The son of man came to seek and save what was lost.”

In “Love and War”, John Eldredge says, “The son of man came to seek and save what was lost. The hopefulness of this promise is like a sunrise. ..God is about restoring the very things I care about too. What a relief. We’ve got big help on our side. He knows something about resurrection.”

🎤

Mic drop.

Such an encouraging reminder for our days.

We’ve got big help on our side.

He knows something about resurrection.

They say nature heals….and I agree. Beauty heals the human soul. It’s how God designed it. He designed us to be affected by nature. And then, sometimes, we as humans, get confused and decide to worship it. We worship nature and beauty…the very thing God designed to bring us to him and to awaken our souls.

This fall we got to go to Maui, my in-laws treated us with an incredible trip. One morning we awoke to a sunrise and rainbows. We sat on the beach and watched the rainbow…unbroken cover the entire sky. Then a double rainbow came. Then my little nephew played in the sand under the rainbow canopy. Then, we sat in our lawn chairs and looked and looked at it. The rainbow stayed for so long.

In His creation, God calls to us. He awakens something in our hearts that falls asleep with screens and concrete.

Why does he do this?

Are we supposed to pay attention to the rhythm of the seasons? To the way light is bent and reflects color? Is nature a parable he’s speaking each and every day over us to point us to truths and lessons in our regular and boring days?

I think – yes, yes, and yes.

What does it say to you that seasons change?

What does winter solstice say to you?

What does spring say?

What do trees and their roots tell you?

What about weeds?

We could go on and on.

“The hopefulness of the promise is like a sunrise.”

What do you see about God when you pay attention to nature? Hopefulness, seasons changing, blooms emerging from frozen soil, bare times, stormy gales, rainbows….

This year I had the privilege of being home to watch the sun set on the longest day of the year and the shortest day of the year. In June, the top picture was taken at 9:50, and it was warm and the crickets were chirping. The bottom picture was December. It was 5:20 or so. I watched lots of birds. It was cold, and Christmas lights twinkled in my house windows.

The longest day, and the shortest day.

I felt God awaken me.

Awaken me to rhythms of nature. To the mix of certainty (seasons) and uncertainty (will it snow, ice, be warm).

He awakens me to the idea of change. Or newness. Of even resurrection. That the darkest night can be over, and the light coming.

Nature heals.

Don’t we want to notice it.

To put down our devices and bathe in it.

To awaken to beauty and hope and God’s nearness!

Sometimes I think, oh, sure…I can think of God and nature and be awakened on vacation! At the beach! In the sun!

What about in February….the worst month of the year!

(I don’t like February.)

But, guess what…beauty is still there. Nature still heals. God still awakens us.

We just need to bundle up. 😉