Saturday Morning

It's quiet here this morning, the sun is still low in the eastern sky, just recently makings its debut of the day. It's golden this morning, like the crust of freshly baked bread. The air is crisp and clear as it should be in autumn. Walking outside on my way to the goat barn, I couldn't help but have a conversation with God about the beauty of it all. The beauty of nature is His ever present gift to us. It speaks of His love for us, but if we spend all our time inside or rushing to the car to get here or there, we miss so much of this gift. Sure we will see the big things, but not the tiny miracles of the things we have to look for, take time for, bend down to see kinds of things.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

We can understand God, even His invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, from the things He made ! So why would we not want to take the time to see the wonder of His creation. We often say we can know about an artist by studying his/her paintings....and how much more we can understand the brilliance of God by studying His works. By looking at how things all work together, and how beautiful the colors are, the entire splendor of nature.

I think as believers, folks ought to spend a bit of time each day outside, looking at what God not only created, but He decorated, then meditate and then bow ones head in profound gratitude for His unending love for mankind. Creation is more than just a working of things, it is an expression of what God thinks and feels. It seems nearly sinful to me to not want to experience this aspect of God's being. It is His gift to us, we should enjoy it.

I think that is why I love hanging up clothes and have opted to leave myself no other option, but to be outside doing this chore. Watching and hearing the birds, seeing the clouds float by or drinking in the color of the sky with my eyes. Seeing the wind bend the branches or feel the stillness of a summer day. I sometimes talk about how we don't have a clothes dryer for "Green" reasons, which is true but the bigger reason is because I want something to pull me outside, something to MAKE me look and see and not miss an opportunity to be outside, yes even in winter, for Gods masterpieces can be exceptionally beautiful in winter.

I have often thought that in the years to come, experts will discover that the kinds of food we eat are less important to our health than is exercise and fresh air. I think that some of the foods we eat become harmful because we don't do much physical labor, we stay inside like den dwelling creatures, acting more like we are hibernating than living fully.

Last week I was thinking it had been ages since I had knelt by my chair praying like I used to, then I remembered something, with the children all grown and gone, I have more time for moment to moment conversation with God. I talk to Him as I walk to the barn, as I do the dishes, as I sit knitting.

Emery's mother passed away yesterday. Her life one of hardships. When I read the Mennonite story book published by Rod and Staff, titled, "The Way She Chose" , I thought about my mother in law. Her Choices made early on, made her life hard and the life of her children difficult. Only now there is rest for her.