the beauty of autumn
I love the cool sunny days of fall. The air is crisp and clear—gone are the heavy heat-filled days of summer. It’s time to get outside and walk, bike, hike or do a Body & Soul® Fitness class.
Recently I’ve had a chance to do some hiking while visiting family in Washington State. We wore some good gripping shoes and hiked a wonderful path starting at one of the visitor centers on Mt. Rainer—God’s glory was magnificent. We were physically refreshed by the sights as well as the walk. Waterfalls, breathtaking views, and wildflowers. It does not get more beautiful than this!
I have found that God refreshes my soul with both movement and with beauty. I soak it in through my eyes and it makes me breathe more deeply and relax in the presence of it. Ecclesiastes 3:11 contains a great insight about beauty: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” This reminds me that God loves beauty and he brings out the beauty in all things, in his perfect timing. The scrawniest tree can be as beautiful as the tall fir trees that first catch our eyes. The wildflowers have their beauty-moment—then they wither. We are the same. There are times when our lives seem beautiful—and other times when we feel shriveled up, worn out and well, un-beautiful. There are times when our home we have cleaned looks just the way we like it —and other times it looks like a bomb went off in each room the kids have passed through. Kind of un-beautiful, for sure, but we do love the energy of those kids!
It's at those un-beautiful moments and places when we need to be reminded of the last part of Ecclesiastes 3:11. We need to remember that anything beautiful here on earth is just a glimpse of the beauty that lies ahead in eternity with him. And even though we really can’t fathom the beauty of eternity, it refreshes our body and our soul as we think about it. Eternity is in our heart, once we say yes to Jesus.
This Fall be intentional about escaping the un-beautiful things and places that you cannot control. Take hold of that eternity-filled heart of yours and start to walk, start to run, or start to exercise with Body & Soul friends. Breathe, move and enjoy this wonderful time of year, this moment that God has created. Be refreshed by God’s beauty!
What will you do to refresh your body and your soul with beauty and focus on God?
By Jeannie Blocher, Fort Wayne, Indiana