Nature!
I don’t know about you but I love nature. Nature has so much to offer us in its beauty as well as in the lessons that we can learn. And although nature is not what it once was it seems very beautiful to us because this is all we have known. Can you imagine what it must have been like before sin? The green was probably greener and the blue of the sky more vibrant. Every color would have been so beautiful with no taint of sin. There was no death before sin so there would have been no taint of death in anything.
It makes me think of what it must have been like for Adam and Eve after they sinned. There had never been death before and when they started to see things die it must have been heartbreaking for them. In the fall we love the change in the color of the leaves because we see it as beautiful. But for Adam and Eve when they saw death it must have been very sad for them. They had never seen death and it must have been astonishing.
Natures Beauty
Despite sin and the ugliness that can be in nature, there is still some wonderful beauty. A few days ago we were driving along and there beside the road was some elk. Their beauty was amazing. They had their new coats that were sleek and perfect. Their coats can look so bad at certain times of the year but when they are covered with a new coat the beauty shines through.
I am always amazed when I see all the beauty of the newness of nature. It makes me long for heaven! I would love to just walk up to the animals in nature. To look them in the eye and pet their beautiful coats would be amazing. I think the time for that could be coming sooner than we think.
Then I thought…
As I was thinking about the beautiful elk it made me think of us as Christians. When we come to Christ and surrender our lives to Him, He will cover us with His righteousness. The beauty of our lives will shine forth to others and the beauty of His righteousness will draw them. As we are reflecting the beauty of His righteousness others will be drawn to us. They will want to spend time with us just like we have a drawing to nature and want to spend time with the beauty of nature.
There are people born and grow up in the big city and they never see the animals in nature. They may see some in a zoo but they never experience seeing them in their natural environment. It is the same way in the spiritual realm. The only opportunity for some people to get a glimpse of Jesus is through the life of a Christian reflecting His righteousness. Their lives are in the big city of sin and they don’t have the opportunity to see anything different accept as they come in contact with a surrendered Christian.
As we live our lives, we need to keep in mind that people are watching us. What we reflect has an impact on their lives as well as our own. The only way we can reflect Him is to stay connected with Him. Spend time in prayer, the study of His Word, and gratefulness. If we really meditate on what He has done for us the gratefulness will just overflow.
Dear Father,
Thank You, as we allow You into our lives, that You will reflect through us. I am so grateful for Your loving kindness. Your love is amazing! Help us to stay within Your love.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Surrender all to Jesus today. Stay so connected with Him that your reflection to others will be Him.
Love you all.
Do you have a nature illustration? Share below.