This month, write about how Earth and all life rejoices in God’s goodness (Psalm 65), and also about God’s merciful goodness towards man in the Psalms of Redemption (103-104). Join with David as he recognizes the generosity of God and his unfailing love for the world He created.
The five senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching allow us to experience the world. Since God created it all, there must be so much we can learn about God by intentionally using and appreciating these senses of ours.
Notice Creation!
- Use your eyes to see what is all around you. Look for the generosity of God in providing for all of His creation. Look for the incredible diversity. Look for colour, shape and pattern which satisfies our desire for beauty.
- Use your ears to really listen to the world around you. Can you hear the wind in the trees? Can you hear birds singing or insects buzzing? Can you hear a storm coming? Can you hear the rain? Don’t just let these be background noises, let them help you become aware of Creation.
- Use your hands to touch the moss on that rock, or the skin of that tree. Feel the breeze on your face, the warmth or coldness of the air. Intentionally make connections with all that God has created.
- Use your nose to experience the world around you. Many people underappreciate their nose but did you know that your nose is why you enjoy the flavour in food? Take the time to use your nose and appreciate all the different scents there are.
Earth is home to an incredible amount of diversity and all this abundance leads to amazing resilience. God is not stingy. Generosity is what makes everything thrive.
Did you know that according to a study done by researchers at the University of Rochester in New York, “exposure to the natural environment leads people to nurture close relationships with fellow human beings, to value community, and to be more generous with money. By contrast, the more intensely people in the study focused on ‘artificial elements,’ the higher they rated wealth and fame.”1. Creation can inspire generosity, but the artificial world is more likely to inspire selfishness.
- Louv, Richard, The Nature Principle, pg111.