Stop to Smell the Roses :Noticing Gods Good World

I have been to the top of Rattlesnake ledge in North Bend several times now. It’s a beautiful hike, full of winding wooded trails and moss covered rocks that glow like emeralds when the sun hits them just right.  On a weekday when few other hikers are present, you can stop and slow your breathing enough to notice the deep silence of the woods pressing around your ears.The trees rustle in the wind and seem to whisper secrets of their creator, if only you could make out their words. No matter how many times I climb to the top, I never fail to be absolutely struck by what awaits me there. The view of the valley and the distant mountains, the winding roads below and the ever moving clouds stuns me to silence, and I ask myself, “Who is the God that made all this, that made me?” The height of the ledge on which I stand helps me to see the enormity of my God, and yet the mountain continues higher! He is bigger and more beautiful than even this!

Making this hike every so often does me good. Not only do I get some exercise but my soul feels refreshed by the awe I experience, by the beauty of God reflected by my surroundings.





 The heavens are telling the glory of God;
    and the firmament[a] proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
    and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
    their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice[b] goes out through all the earth             and their words to the end of the world.

                ~Psalm 19: 1-4~

 Creation has a lot to say! Each day pours forth speech and each night declares knowledge. How often do we hear and understand what it tells us about our creator? The very trees point our gaze towards heaven like a Church spire! The force of our rivers declares the strength of the Lord, a life-giving wildness that sweeps us away. The rain nourishes the land and makes it beautiful, baptizing it for a time when the sun shows its face. On those happy days when we experience the warmth of the sun’s rays, the earth fairly shimmers with glory! The brightness dazzles our eyes and we must cover our eyes with sunglasses to look upon it. 

 I encourage you today to look with new eyes upon Gods good Earth, see how it points us to the infinite love and goodness of our Savior. Creation calls out night and day with knowledge of God, proclaiming His glory! Let us stop for a moment each day, each night, and listen to it’s message. It is in the stars, in the brightness of the moon, the message is in the rain, the grey reminds us what our life is like without the Son. Blossoms of spring bring us the sweetness of Heaven.



Allow creation to lift your thoughts and heart to God. On a beautiful day like today take advantage of the opportunity to recognize the fact that God created such beautiful things, and that the very height of His creation was Mankind. Was you.