By Karen O’Connor:
The great outdoors in Snowdonia, North Wales.
Photo by Tom Curtis at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Jonah Lehrer, in his article Mom Was Right: Go Outside (The Wall Street Journal) encourages readers to forget the concern about bugs or weather changes. Just do it and your brain will thank you.
“After a brief exposure to the outdoors, people are more creative, happier and better able to focus.”
To that I add, you’ll find God in nature in the great outdoors.
I know this from experience. I’m more fun to be with, more spontaneous, and loving when I go for a hike with my ‘senior saunter’ friends. I become more cheerful too when I help my husband weed, prune and water plants in our garden, or when I play on the trampoline in my grandkids’ backyard. In short, I’m a better person all around.
The author also states that studies show that when surrounded by trees and animals, children with attention-deficit disorders are less likely to have behavioral problems and more able to focus on a specific task. Surely this would apply to all of us. A breath of fresh air, a walk in the woods, a flower or berry-picking adventure will cleanse the spirit and refresh the mind.
“Cities are here to stay; so are smart phones,” says Lehrer. But everyone needs to make time to escape from technology and routine and take a deep breath. To find God in nature takes no effort at all:
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1, NIV Bible)
Just open the door and step outside into the great outdoors. Remember God’s presence. Thank God for the beauty he has created!
©Karen O’Connor. Karen is an author, writing mentor, and frequent contributor to the Finding God Daily blog. Visit Karen on the web at www.karenoconnor.com.
Editor’s note: in my search for a photo showing beauty in nature, I found the one above from Snowdonia, North Wales. That made me want to find out more about that country! Here’s a wonderful YouTube Video showing what it’s like, with a lovely composition by Ronan Hardiman called “Suil a Ruin“.
Karen, I love this blog post…seeing God’s hand in the beauty of the outdoors is a passion of mine, too … I wrote a blog post about it after we returned from a trip to Brevard, North Carolina… http://bethwillismiller.blogspot.com/2011/05/if-you-have-gone-little-way-ahead-of-me.html
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Beth, and for your lovely blog about your experience in nature. I just read it. I too, am a fan of Streams in the Desert. I’ve read volume one over and over. In May my husband and I spent three weeks in Ireland where I received a healthy dose of the beautiful outdoors in that most beguiling country of my ancestors.