Where I Get Inspired

Nature is a balm. When I step into the woods, I feel my countenance relax as peace spreads throughout my being.  The bright green canopy overhead lifts my spirits, and the path laid out before me beckons me to wander awhile.

Wild geraniums line the path

On a recent spring day, I headed into the woods for exercise and respite from my burdened thoughts. I felt my troubles fall behind me with each step further into the woods. The darting birds and busy squirrels barely noticed me as they pursued gathering their lunch, and even they seemed light-hearted at the hope of springtime.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

The early spring woodland holds treasures in plant life that fade quickly and can go entirely unnoticed if one is not aware. On this particular hike, I saw so much beauty in the details of the wildflowers, I returned with my camera to capture these images of their springtime blooms.

Spring foliage is the brightest green of the growing season, and being surrounded with this bright energy fills me with delight and indeed energizes me. Soon the canopy will become more broad, changing into the deeper greens of midsummer, and I will find respite here from the heat of a hot summer’s day.

Trillium

But the spring green seems to shout out its joy of new life as I wander, and the feeling is infectious. I feed on the energy of new life all around me, and the sense of joy in new life rejuvenates my spirit.

I think God has given us Nature for this very purpose. The world man has created is so busy and harsh, with concrete and steel and glass. We design sharp right angles and symmetry, when nature’s edges are soft and free form. We may become accustomed to the cacophony of vehicles roaring by and flying overhead, but our spirits seek peace and quiet if we are to commune with our Maker. It is in the quiet that we are restored.

Spring is quickly growing into the long, hot days of summer. We become accustomed to seeing green all around us, and we settle into a rhythm that hums with the energy of a hot summer’s day. This beauty was birthed in the newness of spring; this life-giving energy growing from the roots to the treetops, and spreading out to form the peaceful canopy into which we might gaze and feel our spirits renewed.


We should take our cue from nature, and slow down to breathe in the life-giving energy of the natural world. Nature doesn't hurry or rush. Everything grows in its season, and we have the privilege of sharing in this beauty. 

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. " 

Ecclesiastes 3:1(NLT)