We don't go outdoors to be eaten alive by swarming insects. Nonetheless, there are plenty of creatures that can make the outdoors uncomfortable. My daughter and I were sitting outside one summer evening watching the sun set behind a mountain. The colors were exquisite and the evening temperature was perfect–then came the gnats. My daughter asked me with great annoyance in her voice, "Dad, why did God create gnats?" How would you have answered her?
SEPT 21 - Biting Flies
RECREATION: Hiking, Solitude RELATED WORDS: Gnats, Fly
Matthew 12:24, Jeremiah 46:20–21, Psalm 78:45, Psalm 105:31
SEPT 1 - River
Isaiah 48:18, Isaiah 66:12, Isaiah 33:21, Acts 16:13
Rivers cascade with emblematic (symbolic) meaning. Likely, there is a river not too far away from your home. My hometown where I grew up was along the Genesee River in NY. My home river for the past 22 years has been the Youghiogheny River (the Yough – pronounced “Yock”) in PA. What do you consider your home river? Have you sat along its banks? Have you canoed it, rafted it, swam in it? Have you fished its waters? Have you explored its emblematic (symbolic) meanings? Go, take a trip to your home river and look, listen, and learn something of what God has to say through this glorious element of creation.
SEPT 2 - Trees
Psalm 1:3, Jeremiah 17:7–8, 1 Peter 2:24, Daniel 4:10–12
Trees are one of the loudest elements in all creation. By loudest, I don’t mean volume in decibels. What I mean is that trees are a prolific emblem all throughout the Scriptures. There are few other elements in God’s creation that even come close to matching the number of ways that trees speak. Just the smallest amount of contemplation can produce numerous reflections on how trees speak about God and humanity. Take some time to go and reflect on a tree—journal all the ways you can think of that the tree in front of you is emblematic.
SEPT 19 - Mist / Fog
September 19, 2021 • Isaiah 44:22, Jeremiah 10:13, Jeremiah 51:16, Proverbs 21:6, Hosea 13:3
September is a great time to encounter mist as it rises off of lakes and rivers on those cold autumn mornings. Going for an early morning paddle in a kayak, canoe, or some other watercraft is a wonderful way to encounter mist. A sunrise fishing excursion is another means of meditating upon mist. ADDITIONAL VERSES - Acts 2:19, Acts 13:11-12, James 4:14, 2 Peter 2:17