Feel the Beauty

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord. (Psalm 27:4 NIV)

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:3 NIV)

The Lord himself is beauty, and one way we see that beauty revealed is in his creation. Ever since our homeschool year began last fall, I’d wanted my children and me to be out in nature more, out to see more of the world God made. I even made a list of all the parks around our area so I could check them off as we visited them. I wanted us to feel the beauty of all God has surrounded us with, but I’d failed to take part in or enjoy it.

Then, one day, I felt a tug that said we just needed to get out of the house, away from our regular homeschool routine. I remembered seeing an event on Facebook for an outdoor group I’d been meaning to check out: Free Forest School. So I hopped on Facebook to RSVP, even though it was the night before the event.

When we showed up, everyone was warm and welcoming. We all walked to an open part of the park, and then the group dispersed around a small area to explore.

All the kids started climbing around the rocks and hills. We encountered deer, and my troop was enthralled, following them on tiptoe as long as they could. They built a fort, something I’m not sure they’ve ever done outside before. They skipped rocks in a small pond of water. And they found a bone of some kind, which we brought home.

Later that day at our piano lesson, the kids showed the bone to their teacher. She told us her husband is a geologist and would probably know the kind of bone it was just by looking at it. We left it with her, and then the excitement of that find waited for us at next week’s lesson. We’d be able to look at pictures of an entire animal skeleton and see where that bone fit.

I’m so glad I took that last-minute chance to head outside and enjoy God’s magnificent creation. I felt the beauty that day.

Although it’s February, it’s not too late or too cold to be outside, even if all we can manage is a walk around the block. I can take my kids all over the community on as many outdoor field trips as there are days we breathe. That one yes I might say could lead to another yes and another. I’ll need to take stock of how that’s working for us, ensure that I’m not giving too many yeses, making us too busy and not getting enough rest. But one yes for the right thing makes it easier to say yes to the next right thing, and before I know it, the right things will be a habit. And then, hopefully, I’ll be feeling the beauty around me all the time.

God’s Beauty Is Everywhere

God’s created beauty exists not just in nature, but in the books we read, the food we eat—everything he’s provided for us. And his beauty exists in the faces and hearts of the little people and husband I love. It’s in the way they laugh and give hugs. It’s even in the way the children fight and have to work out how to love one another better. It’s in their realization that they’re important to one another and to me.

Maybe you don’t have little people to take care of or a reason to get to a park and notice the wonder. Maybe your people are the ones you work with or work for. Look at them and notice the beauty of creation and the image of God in them. Appreciate that.

Maybe the only time you get to notice the beauty of the world is on your drive to work or on your way to an appointment. Open your eyes afresh and notice how the seasons have changed your scenery. Notice the beauty of change in the one particular tree that stands out to you. Give God credit for that beauty and appreciate that he put it in your path.

God’s beauty—the beauty that is his and his created beauty—is all around us. Look for it. Feel it.

Carla Clemens enjoys a crazy, beautiful life with her military husband and four sons. A baby and toddler interrupt her homeschool days in the best ways, and she is always attempting to live with mindfulness of each moment. She hopes to look at the world and each person in it in light of our amazing Creator and therefore, to see each moment presented as an opportunity to love and serve him more. Carla relishes time to ponder God’s Word and have quiet moments with him and her coffee. She loves doing life with other mamas and encouraging them to simply be who God has made them to be.

Photograph © Damien McCoig, used with permission