Dolly Sods Wilderness
John Miller
04/06/21
- Windstream Mail
R E F L E C T I O N S Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith - 4/5/21 _____________________________________________________________________ "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you." - Jn. 14:27 |
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The Dolly Sods wilderness in the mountains of West Virginia has been one of my favorite locations to photograph and unwind since I discovered it almost fifty years ago. Unfortunately many others have discovered it as well so the earlier times I have had there all by myself are pretty much gone now. But, by arriving very early and hiking some distance away from the only road that goes through there, I can still find isolation. Such was the case when I took this image. I arrived well before dawn and hiked to a spot I had previously scouted at sunrise when the first rays were piercing the mist and illuminating the rock cliffs. Times like this always give me a sense of peace and of God's presence. For a Christian peace is a gift, a cessation of enmity between God and man. In our natural state we all were in hostility to the One who created us. We rebelled against his commandments, fled from his direction, and scoffed at his very existence. We were in fact dead in our trespasses and sins. But God made us alive and changed our hearts to seek him. The punishment for our disobedience that we deserved was laid upon Jesus and the obedience Jesus merited was charged to our account. The war between God and those he had chosen was over. Peace replaced rebellion. And this peace, this gift won for us by Jesus, is something all who have put their trust in him can experience at any time or in any place. But, at least for me, I have found that this overwhelming sense of God's peace and his presence is felt most strongly at certain special places. It so happens that being alone in the Dolly Sods wilderness at sunrise is one such time and one such place. So, go and find your own place and rest there in his peace. - John
