Monday, October 13, 2008

The Good Life

I just got back from a weekend camping trip, and there's so much I could say. The weather was perfect. Warm in the day, cold at night. Leaves fell all around us when the sun hit the trees, and we were camped beside a babbling stream. The other campsites were so far away you couldn't see them, or hear them. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, and let me tell you . . . there's nothing like that.

I think about God when I'm in nature. I just can't help it. And He really met me on this trip. Nothing spectacular. No shouts from the sky. But I realized that no matter what happens in this world, God hasn't left us. At one point He just whispered to me the words, "Be still and know that I am God." I think that's what this camping trip really was for me---recognizing that God does love me. I'm not alone. Funny I would feel that way when I really was alone in the middle of the woods. :)

This whole trip reminds me how important it is to get away every now and then from all our technology and clear our minds. For creative types, and writers in particular, I highly recommend turning off your computer for the weekend and spending as much time as you can outside. Your creative juices will flow in ways you might not imagine.

I prayed before I left on the camping trip that the Lord would show me things about my next novel. I'm home now with a clearer understanding of what I want to write, and for that I am truly thankful.

Even in crazy times there's something we can be thankful for. It just takes stopping for a minute and recognizing how blessed we are.

2 comments:

Rel said...

Loovely post! Glad you had a great time :)

Anonymous said...

Nothing can be more enjoyable for me than a family camping trip, I just love it.