A Little Time Outside Makes a Big Difference

Now I know why it is so hard to hear the still small voice. It's not only because we don't stand still for long. Nor is it because we aren't quiet often enough. I sometimes forget about the places where it is easy to be still and quiet and it is easier to hear. This week I was reminded.

I took my little one to a park that we don't often go to. I have a toddler so the park is usually about the playgrounds. This time was different. We found the playground but there were open fields surrounding it and we decided to just walk around. It wasn't busy that day and the air was crisp from the morning chill and the afternoon warming of the sun . As we walked around and around, I listened to the peaceful silence. It's funny how in the house silence can be boring; then it's easily remedied with the flip of the switch on a TV remote or tap on a phone or other device. When you're outside, however, the silence can be absorbed with scenery, smells, temperatures, and nature sounds.

I'm convinced that taking time to walk outside is what de-clutters my mind the most. When there's too much to do and too little time, you should take a walk anyway. Being away from things and technology for a little while can make the things that matter most more visible.

A few days later we were on a beach during a visit to a loved one. It was a very different place but it had the same impact. I had been sorely disappointed that my hotel internet was worthless and I couldn't accomplish the things I needed to for my business. Sitting in the sand, chasing my child as she chased seagulls, hearing the waves, and inhaling chilly/warm Florida air was a perfect distraction for a little while. I'm pretty sure this sort of distraction is a healthier one than the media.

Then today we were back home and walking a trail at a nature reserve in the swampy woodlands. It's a far cry from the beach. It's a different scene from the manicured lawns of a softball and disk golf park. The effect on my mind and body was again the same. I think people often look at their surroundings and think it would be more relaxing if they were at a beach, in the mountains, or at a gulf resort. Having visited three drastically different landscapes in a week I'm convinced that all of creation speaks of God's goodness and there are countless landscapes that are good for your mind and body.

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:7-10

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Psalm 96:11-12

In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Psalm 95:4-5

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

I no longer wonder what it takes to hear the still small voice. The quiet in nature makes that voice much more audible. Going outside is such a simple way to live life well.