Experience God's Beauty in Nature

Last week, we talked about weddings, specifically why I have never dreamed of having my wedding inside a church. It got me thinking about something bigger than wedding venues and traditions. It got me thinking about where we believe God lives, where we believe we can find him, and whether we have become so accustomed to looking for him in certain places that we forget he is everywhere.

Growing up in the church, I learned about the importance of having a church home, gathering with other believers, worshipping together, and making room for God in our everyday lives. And I still believe there is something beautiful about coming together with other people to worship. But I also believe that sometimes we get so caught up in the building that we forget about the God who created everything outside of it.

God is not confined to four walls. He is in the church, yes. But he is also in the soil beneath our feet, the trees that provide shade on a hot summer day, the flowers that bloom without asking for anyone's permission, and the grass that somehow keeps growing even when we forget to water it. He is in the mountains, the rivers, the oceans, and the sky that stretches farther than our eyes can see. He is in the stars that light up the night, the moon that changes its appearance, and the vast universe that reminds us just how much exists beyond our understanding. Have you ever stopped to think about how incredible that is?

We live in a world filled with things we cannot fully explain, measure, or comprehend. We can study the stars, explore the ocean, examine the smallest particles of the earth, and still discover that there is so much more to learn. For me, that is one of the ways I experience God's beauty.

Sometimes, I think we expect experiencing God to look a certain way. We expect it to happen during Sunday morning service, while the choir is singing, when the pastor delivers a word that seems like it was written specifically for us, or when we are on our knees praying in our bedroom. And those moments can absolutely be meaningful. But what about the moments when we are standing outside watching the sunset? What about sitting by the ocean, listening to the waves crash against the shore? What about walking through a park, feeling the wind against our faces, or watching the leaves change colors as the seasons shift? What about those quiet moments when we are doing absolutely nothing but taking in the world around us, and suddenly, we feel a sense of peace that we cannot quite put into words?

Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." I love this verse because it reminds us that creation itself points back to the Creator. The sky doesn't need a pulpit to declare God's glory. The ocean doesn't need a choir to remind us of his power. The flowers don't need a church membership to bloom, and the trees don't need an invitation to grow. Creation simply exists, and in its existence, we can see reminders of the one who made it. We need to slow down long enough to notice.

We spend so much time rushing from one thing to the next. We are answering emails, checking our phones, worrying about bills, thinking about the future, replaying conversations, and trying to keep up with everything life throws at us. Sometimes, we are so busy asking God for the next thing that we forget to appreciate what he has already placed right in front of us. Experiencing God's beauty in nature starts with something as simple as stepping outside.

Take a walk without immediately reaching for your phone. Sit on your porch and watch the sky. Visit a garden. Go to the beach. Find a hiking trail. Put your feet in the grass and take a deep breath. Pay attention to the things you might usually overlook. Notice the way the sunlight filters through the trees or how the clouds seem to paint an entirely different picture every single day. You can simply appreciate the beauty of what is in front of you and be grateful that you get to experience it.

If we believe God created the earth and everything in it, why would we limit our opportunities to appreciate his creation to the time we spend inside a church building? I am not saying that church is unimportant or that gathering with other believers doesn't matter. I am not suggesting that nature replaces fellowship, prayer, scripture, or having a relationship with God. Those things can all have a meaningful place in our faith. What I am saying is that we shouldn't mistake one place where we encounter God for the only place where we can encounter him.

There is a difference between appreciating the church and believing that God can only be found there. And that brings me back to last week's conversation about my wedding. When I say I have always envisioned getting married in my Meme and Poppy's backyard, I am not saying that I want God excluded from my wedding. Quite the opposite. I believe God can be present in that backyard just as he can be present in a church sanctuary. I can exchange vows beneath the open sky, surrounded by the people I love, with the trees standing tall around us and the ground beneath our feet, and still honor God in the commitment I am making. The location does not determine whether God is invited into the moment. My intentions, my faith, and the covenant I am choosing to enter into matter far more than whether there is a cross hanging on the wall behind me.

You can pray in your bedroom. You can worship in your car. You can talk to God while driving down the highway, sitting beside a lake, or standing in your kitchen making dinner. You can find yourself overwhelmed by his creation while looking out at the ocean or gazing up at the stars. You can walk into a church and feel his presence, and you can walk outside and experience that same sense of wonder. God is not limited by our buildings, our traditions, or our expectations of what a spiritual experience is supposed to look like.

I know that people experience spirituality in different ways, and I am not here to tell anyone what their relationship with God should look like. My faith is my own, and I believe yours is personal, too. But I think there is room for us to expand our understanding of where we can encounter the divine.

So, the next time you find yourself outside, take a moment to look around. Look at the sky. Pay attention to the trees. Listen to the birds. Watch the waves. Notice the little things that make this world so extraordinary. And if those moments bring you closer to God, allow yourself to sit in that feeling.

And at the end of the day, I think what matters most is that we understand who God is to us, that we remain open to experiencing his presence, and that we don't become so focused on where we think he should be that we miss the ways he might already be showing up.

God created more than the four walls we gather inside on Sunday mornings. It's time we start appreciating a little more of what he created outside of them, too.