Articles
Thick Brush and Brar Patches
R E F L E C T I O N S
Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith
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"He has made everything beautiful in its time."
- Ecc. 3:11
I set out one wintry day to hike to some caves near our property hoping to find some ice formations to photograph. But in order to get there I knew I would have to make my way across an overgrown field full of thick brush and briar patches. Not exactly an easy hike, but I had my mind set on the caves which lie on the other side. Lugging camera, tripod, and backpack, I kept my head lowered as I forced my way slowly through the underbrush. I don't know why, but halfway across that field I stopped and raised up to look around. And then I saw it, a small scraggly tree off to one side. I almost dismissed it, but the longer I looked, the more I saw a beauty in its silhouette. As it turned out, this image was my favorite of the entire day. And I can't really tell you why. The only way I can explain its appeal to me is to say it just spoke to me. Was it just a coincidence that made me stop at that one spot to look around? Albert Einstein once said that coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous. I think he was right. We too quickly explain away what we call chance encounters. But really, chance has no inherent power. It is just a way we have to explain what we don't understand. If God is sovereign, then he controls all things. Was God the reason I chose the path I chose across that field? Was God the one who made me stop and look in that particular direction? Was it God who enabled me to see the beauty in a scraggly little tree? I believe he was. Beauty is hard to define, but something lets us know beauty when we see it. God has made everything beautiful in its time, and for me on this particular day, at this particular time, God opened my eyes and my heart to see the beauty of this little nondescript tree. If you have eyes to see, you will certainly see. Beauty surrounds us. - John
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