Central United Protestant Blog

I got to spend most of the day working out in the  yard recently.  It was a beautiful Saturday and  the spring colors and aromas were awash with life and vibrancy.  I love to garden.  But more than that, I love contact with creation.  It’s a place where I feel alive and nurtured.  The thing about nature is that it demands to be noticed since it speaks in silent pictures.  Patricia Hoffer in her book “Yielding to Wonder” put it this way; “I realized why nature makes me so relaxed and peaceful.  It forces me to sit quietly and passively, to wait patiently.  We sit for the sun to rise and the sun to set.”  I believe we as human beings were created to live under the witness and through the gifts of creation which helps our souls and spirits to connect with God.  St. Francis of Assisi taught that God’s creation  was like a classroom where we learn humility and patience (”see how the farmer waits” - James 5:7) as well as courage and discipline.  Creation calls us to contemplate.  God has said through David, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  No wonder culture’s popular axiom, “stop and smell the roses” rings true for so many people.  It is a non-biblical command calling us into a scriptural way of living without even knowing or declaring it!  The Prophet Isaiah calls us to a most important approach to living our lives.  He said, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).  Make sure to take time to soak, absorb, watch, listen and receive the presence and presents of God into your life!