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Last week I was challenged to get outside to See God through His Creation everyday. This is usually an easy task for me with my early morning runs and it being summer. Unfortunately I have been On the Bench with an injury, so my time in nature has been different that I had planned. I had days that I was able to spend slowly walking in nature with God. The smells and sounds were pronounced as I paid attention on these God walks. My favorite smell was the freshly cut grass and the best sound was from the leaves rustling as the wind blew them.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always,
pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you
in Christ Jesus.
REJOICE
I also had a couple of chaotic days with my kids in tow on these walks with God. It was harder to pay attention with the noises and complaining. We went to Itasca State Park as part of our nature walk. It's been a relatively dry year and we haven't had to mow our lawn in weeks, so I didn't even think about mosquitoes as week hit our first trail. Oh! My! Word! Were they doing an experiment to see how many mosquitoes they could breed in the park? Our sprint down the trail gave little time to look for the beauty and there was very little rejoicing! After we finished our day at the park my oldest said it was the best day and she loved all of the hiking. There was rejoicing even through the difficulty.
PRAY
Being sidelined from running has me a bit down and out. I've been taking this as an opportunity to turn my negative circumstances into prayers. I've been praying for healing to my legs. On the trail I was praying for relief from the mosquito assault. The book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World gives an action step for negative thoughts that I have been applying.
"Instead of mentally obsessing about my problems,
I began consciously turning my worry into prayer."
THANK
To build on these prayers I have been adding thanks. Thank you God for my kids, for the opportunity to be in nature. Thank you that even though I am not able to run I am able to walk. Slowing down to walk with God has been the what I needed to connect with him.
This week Rejoice in your Circumstances,
Pray through your Worries and Thank Him.
Thank you, Joni, for reminding me to smell the flowers and all that is in Nature and to try to see the positive in what may not be so great. Your story reminded me of my brother, Juan, who died a year ago. Juan and his wife, Bea, lived in Corpus Christi, TX, a large crowded city. When Juan visited Minnesota once, he would get up early in the morning and just walk around in our 7 acres and lift his head up and smelled the fresh air. I always teased him that our neighbors were going to be calling the cops because some nut was outside smelling the air! Have a joyous day, Joni! 💕