“I love to think of nature as an unlimited
broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will
only tune in.” George Washington Carver
An atheist was walking through the woods, admiring all
the “accidents” that evolution had created. “What majestic trees! What powerful
rivers! What beautiful animals!” he said to himself. As he was walking
alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. Turning to
look, he saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charging toward him. He ran away as fast as
he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw the grizzly was
closing in. Somehow he ran even faster, so scared that tears came to his eyes.
He looked again, and the big bear was even closer. His heart was pounding, and
he tried to run faster. He tripped and fell to the ground. He rolled over to
pick himself up, but the bear was right over him, reaching for him with its left
paw and raising its right paw to strike him.
At that instant, the atheist cried, “Oh God help!” Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. Even the river stopped moving.
As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky, “You’ve denied My existence for all these years, taught others that I don't exist, and even credited creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect Me to help you out of this predicament now? Am I to count you as a believer?”
The atheist looked directly into the light and said, “I would feel like a hypocrite to become a Christian after all these years, but perhaps you could make the bear a Christian?”
“Very well,” said the Voice.
The light went out. The river ran. The sounds of the forest resumed. Then the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed its head, and spoke: “Lord, for this food which I am about to receive, I am truly thankful.”
Though I’m a Creationist, I have to confess that that atheist is a better person than I am. He was thankful for the glories of nature though he gave credit to the wrong “creator.” Too often I can fly through life and be oblivious to the blessings of God’s wonderful creation all around me.
I love this time of year with the blooming flowers and their overwhelming fragrance. Our backyard is awash with the blooms of our apple trees. All of the trees have filled out again with their canopies of green. The birds have returned and we wake up to hear them serenading us. At night you have to be cautious about deer, raccoons, and possums. Spring is glorious!
With the warm weather, Jane and I look forward to walks around the neighborhood and enjoying the beauty of our neighbors’ flowers and gardens. I have a bench in front of our home where I’ll sit and read. It’s an opportunity to connect with neighbors. I love watching folk go by with their families or walking their dogs or children streaking by on their bikes.
Wisconsin has some of the most beautiful sunsets that I’ve ever seen and what can compete after a thunderstorm with our rainbows. The glories of God’s creation bring us out to look in awe at what He has done!
At night I love listening to crickets and frogs. Every now and then, you’ll hear an owl hooting. As a child, I remember listening to the Whippoorwills. There’s something breathtaking about a large moon or a star-filled sky.
This summer Jane and I are looking forward to long walks on the beach. We’ll look for unusual shells, crabs skittering away, or fish leaping out of the water. Jane loves to find those unique nature trails to some waterfall or rock formation that you can only see when you hike back to it. We’ll watch some glorious sunsets on the ocean.
To enjoy God’s creation takes time. With our accomplishment-focused culture, we cram too much into what should be downtime. It’s easy to forget that even in a family or couples getaway, the emphasis is on the individuals, not the destination or activities. It’s the ones we’re traveling with not where we’re traveling or what we will do that’s important.
That child or grandchild will never be the same age and have the same interests and focus in 2024 as they have in 2023. Your spouse, even though we adults seem static, won’t be the same in 2024 as they are in 2023.
There’s one requirement if you’re going to “stop and smell the roses.” You must stop! You must slow down. It means taking time.
Our time-oriented world values speed not substance. It deceives us into believing accomplishments or destinations are more important than relationships. Most of the world is in a hurry, always rushing; yet very few even know where they’re going or why they’re going there. They rush to yet another event that often has no real meaning for them, or perhaps that they really don’t even want to attend. It’s just another obligation.
Or we let technology steal from us the wonder of God’s creation or depth in our relationships. Our TVs, computers, and smartphones steal from us what truly matters. We’re often focused miles away yet oblivious to those in the same room. There’s no conversation or dialogue. There’s only watching often what is little more than inane dribble on a screen.
We must commit to slowing down, living in a slower rhythm, God’s rhythm, not this world’s pace. The Lord Jesus was never in a hurry when He walked this earth and God is absolutely not in a hurry now. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” We must learn to let each thing in our lives have its season and realize we can enjoy that season without barging into the next one.
Our frenetic pace robs us of quality lives and relationships. We’re moving so fast that we miss the grand masterpieces of God’s creation! So please take the time to enjoy life. Strengthen relationships with those you love. Trust God to give you the grace, energy, and time to do everything you actually need to do at a pace that allows you to enjoy the journey.
At that instant, the atheist cried, “Oh God help!” Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. Even the river stopped moving.
As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky, “You’ve denied My existence for all these years, taught others that I don't exist, and even credited creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect Me to help you out of this predicament now? Am I to count you as a believer?”
The atheist looked directly into the light and said, “I would feel like a hypocrite to become a Christian after all these years, but perhaps you could make the bear a Christian?”
“Very well,” said the Voice.
The light went out. The river ran. The sounds of the forest resumed. Then the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed its head, and spoke: “Lord, for this food which I am about to receive, I am truly thankful.”
Though I’m a Creationist, I have to confess that that atheist is a better person than I am. He was thankful for the glories of nature though he gave credit to the wrong “creator.” Too often I can fly through life and be oblivious to the blessings of God’s wonderful creation all around me.
I love this time of year with the blooming flowers and their overwhelming fragrance. Our backyard is awash with the blooms of our apple trees. All of the trees have filled out again with their canopies of green. The birds have returned and we wake up to hear them serenading us. At night you have to be cautious about deer, raccoons, and possums. Spring is glorious!
With the warm weather, Jane and I look forward to walks around the neighborhood and enjoying the beauty of our neighbors’ flowers and gardens. I have a bench in front of our home where I’ll sit and read. It’s an opportunity to connect with neighbors. I love watching folk go by with their families or walking their dogs or children streaking by on their bikes.
Wisconsin has some of the most beautiful sunsets that I’ve ever seen and what can compete after a thunderstorm with our rainbows. The glories of God’s creation bring us out to look in awe at what He has done!
At night I love listening to crickets and frogs. Every now and then, you’ll hear an owl hooting. As a child, I remember listening to the Whippoorwills. There’s something breathtaking about a large moon or a star-filled sky.
This summer Jane and I are looking forward to long walks on the beach. We’ll look for unusual shells, crabs skittering away, or fish leaping out of the water. Jane loves to find those unique nature trails to some waterfall or rock formation that you can only see when you hike back to it. We’ll watch some glorious sunsets on the ocean.
To enjoy God’s creation takes time. With our accomplishment-focused culture, we cram too much into what should be downtime. It’s easy to forget that even in a family or couples getaway, the emphasis is on the individuals, not the destination or activities. It’s the ones we’re traveling with not where we’re traveling or what we will do that’s important.
That child or grandchild will never be the same age and have the same interests and focus in 2024 as they have in 2023. Your spouse, even though we adults seem static, won’t be the same in 2024 as they are in 2023.
There’s one requirement if you’re going to “stop and smell the roses.” You must stop! You must slow down. It means taking time.
Our time-oriented world values speed not substance. It deceives us into believing accomplishments or destinations are more important than relationships. Most of the world is in a hurry, always rushing; yet very few even know where they’re going or why they’re going there. They rush to yet another event that often has no real meaning for them, or perhaps that they really don’t even want to attend. It’s just another obligation.
Or we let technology steal from us the wonder of God’s creation or depth in our relationships. Our TVs, computers, and smartphones steal from us what truly matters. We’re often focused miles away yet oblivious to those in the same room. There’s no conversation or dialogue. There’s only watching often what is little more than inane dribble on a screen.
We must commit to slowing down, living in a slower rhythm, God’s rhythm, not this world’s pace. The Lord Jesus was never in a hurry when He walked this earth and God is absolutely not in a hurry now. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” We must learn to let each thing in our lives have its season and realize we can enjoy that season without barging into the next one.
Our frenetic pace robs us of quality lives and relationships. We’re moving so fast that we miss the grand masterpieces of God’s creation! So please take the time to enjoy life. Strengthen relationships with those you love. Trust God to give you the grace, energy, and time to do everything you actually need to do at a pace that allows you to enjoy the journey.
Can
we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web
page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more
about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus
changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org
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