Some years ago, I attended a women writer’s workshop over a weekend in January. It was held in a rustic lodge nestled in the woods along the shores of the Grand River just north of Lansing, Michigan.
It was a memorable experience, with a good mix of challenge – stretching me beyond my comfort zone as a writer – and encouragement from a diverse group of affirming and inspiring women.
Even better was the self-directed retreat that followed. I had five days all to myself to practice writing in a cozy guest room at the front of the lodge. With only one other woman staying for the retreat, we had the whole place to ourselves. It was the perfect setting for connecting with God and nature and for fueling my creativity.
An unexpected meeting
One afternoon, in need of a change of scenery, I stepped out from the warmth of my cocoon into the brisk, winter air. After roaming around the property, I walked away from the lodge up toward the main road. The crunch of snow underfoot and the occasional movements of wildlife in the woods around me were the only sounds to be heard.
I came to the end of the road and stopped in front of an untouched, snow-covered plot of farm land. The view was stunning – stark, desolate, pure. Like a priceless Renoir hung on a museum wall, this masterpiece of nature – painted by the hand of God and framed by a brilliant blue sky – was calling me to pay attention.
The silence and stillness were astounding. I had the feeling that I was intruding on an intimate moment between the Maker and nature, wondering if I should tip toe back the way I’d come so as not to disturb what felt like sacred ground. Instead, I stood still in that place for what seemed like a very long time, mesmerized by its beauty.
When I felt like I might burst from partaking in this feast for the soul, I surrendered to the unrelenting force calling me closer. Lifting my arms up toward heaven, I allowed the beauty of holiness to wash over me and peace to settle deep in my bones.
Marking the moment
I felt somehow new inside, mysteriously changed in the best possible way. I turned around slowly and walked back to the lodge where I wrote this poem.
Cold white earth
under my feet
A winding path leading me to nowhere
Water dances over frozen rocks
A deer stops to look
at this stranger to nature.
Road crosses road
A field of frozen snow
stops me
dead in my tracks.
And then I hear it …
Silence.
Loud, deafening silence
screaming for my attention.
I am captivated.
My heart attuned to the Maker’s song
a hymn of wonder
a melody with lyrics about my soul.
Birds join the choir
Serenading me back
to life.
Practicing mindfulness
You don’t have to go on a writer’s retreat to experience the Creator like I did that day. In fact, most God moments aren’t show stoppers; often, you have to pull back the curtain to see them. But if you are willing to be mindful throughout your days, you will catch glimpses of God’s presence.
You may hear him in the comforting words of a friend or through the unexpected kindness of a stranger. God may show himself in the solution you discovered for your budget problems or the hope that filled you when you prayed. You might hear him in the words that stood out to you while reading scripture or recognize his spirit in the calm you maintained during a confrontation with a co-worker.
In the book of Lamentations (3:22-23), the prophet Jeremiah says,
Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
We can be sure God’s love is poured out each day in our lives, because he is faithful. It’s up to us to pay attention and recognize it. One way to do that is to take some time each evening to reflect on the events of your day – consider your actions and words, the people you encountered, conversations you had, all the good times and challenging moments. As you do, pray for the vision to see God’s involvement and the wisdom to discern what God may be saying to you.
With practice and an open mind and heart, I’m confident you will not only see God’s imprint of love on your life, but you will be changed in the process.
Your turn
So, go ahead, get alone. Quiet your mind and silence the distractions. Stay still, listen with your heart, and wait for Love to come near.
__________
Do you practice mindfulness? What’s your method, and how has it affected your faith or impacted your life? What are your struggles in being attentive to God’s work in your life? I’d love to hear about your God moments and how they changed you? Leave your comments below.
4 Comments
JoAnn, Wow. I could almost feel the cold and the snow. I felt as if I could see what you were seeing. Thank you for sharing this encouraging and inspiring period in your life.
I do practice mindfulness, though I can’t say I am as consistent as I’d like. For me the early morning when the sun is streaming into my living room and I sit in my favorite chair and look out the window at his creation, at the birds calling for their loved ones, the trees whispering of God’s glory. Those seem to be my best days, the days when big challenges feel managable.
I can’t wait to share this! Thank you.
I agree, Leslie. When I start my day with time spent with God, it makes a huge difference in how I respond to and manage my day.
Oh, how I loved reading this! And your poem made me want to go to the woods again! It’s been a couple of months now, since we were in the woods in Georgia. It is magical for me to experience God in nature that way. There is something very special about birds for me now. We’ve intentionally tried to draw birds near, with bird feeders that aren’t squirrel-feeders in actuality. Those birds singing, every morning, are truly a choir for me. Mostly because I struggle with worry and they invite me into prayer that remembers that if God feeds the birds and provides for them, why would I ever worry about anything in my own life? He’ll provide that too. To counteract the worry, I’ve started keeping a gratitude journal, based on Ann Voskamp’s “One Thousand Gifts.” That always sifts those conversations, things around me, events into praise, even if they were hard at the time. And it makes me way more mindful to look for those things and to see them as gifts. All of it…gift.
And I loved reading your comment, Laurie! Makes me miss being able to connect with you at church. Some of the reasons you mentioned about experiencing God in nature are, I think, the reasons I love gardening so much. It’s easy to ruminate about God’s faithfulness while caring for a shrub or planting flowers. I know of several others who find a gratitude journal helpful. I’m glad that works for you.