December 8th, Advent Day 12
I lift my eyes to the mountains -
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord.
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121: 1-2
I find myself easily at peace when I am in the North Carolina mountains, surrounded by the beauty of God's creation. I even purchased an inspirational picture of a mountain silhouette with Psalm 121:1 printed on it. I asked myself, why do the mountains speak to me this way? The answer lies in their majesty and power. I look up at the glory of the peaks encased in the smoky mists of the Blue Ridge. Surrounded by God manifest in nature, I feel his presence. I sense the power of his hand in the rough-hewn rocks and bold towering trees. I hear the musical babble of the mountain stream as it tumbles over river rocks, and I am reminded of the water of life. Walking through the forests, I look up at the mountains surrounding me, and sense the power and majesty of our Creator.
In today's technological world, I find myself looking down at a screen too often. My smartphone is my alarm in the mornings, then the source of my morning exercise app, and then there's everything else - the calendar, email, texts, social media. Every day, I am shaped by these interactions with devices. The quick snippets and scrolls of data. I interact more with some people by text than by a physical, face- to-face interaction. It is easy to lose touch with the natural world around me - the world God made with his hands and into which he breathed life. I lose the cues God put in place to remind me of his power and majesty.
This Advent, look up at the sky above you, the towering pines around you, and find God evident in nature. Feel his presence in the beauty of his creation.