It was the early summer of 1980 in a place of unimagined beauty. I had flown in a small 4 seat plane with a few friends from Anchorage to Denali National Park in Alaska. As I sat at a place called polychrome pass I saw something so powerfully beautiful that the only thing I could say was, "there must be a God". Although I was raised to believe in God by the time I sat overlooking the stunning panoramic view of nature in Alaska my life and values had become more self centered and corrupt. I needed a spiritual overhaul and it happened at first not in a church or Bible study time but in the beauty of God's art studio we call "nature".No matter whether you are raised to believe in a religion or philosophy there is an amazing tapestry of beauty on display for all of us to see on a daily basis. Usually, we are too self absorbed to notice. The value of retreat from the busyness of life is the perspective we gain from the sheer beauty displayed in the skies, rivers, seas, oceans etc.... all around us. Scripture puts it to us clearly in Psalm 19: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where there voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."
This was actually a turning point in my life. God had opened the "eyes of my heart" through what he alone could have created. There is so much value in stopping on a regular basis and giving our time not to the things created by men of this earth. When we step out of self and smell a rose, marvel at a stunning view of a sunset or hear the sounds of the ocean... we touch something uniquely designed to speak a language of the soul. Take time to experience something created for you to enjoy without cost or an admission fee.... the reward will not only bless your senses... it will bless your soul.
Jim
