A (Brief) Thought: God and Nature

Hello, friends. 

As far as the Church calendar is concerned, we as Orthodox have a lot going on right now! The feast of the Transfiguration will be upon us very soon, and the Dormition Fast has already begun! While fast periods are always important times to reflect upon spiritual growth and discipline (because you can't have the former without the latter), feast days are for celebration of some form: be it joyful or somber. Today, in light of all this, I wish to share a podcast link with you: http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/morningoffering/beauty

I listen to this podcast (The Morning Offering with Abbot Tryphon) on a semi-regular basis, and I've found myself thinking of this particular episode recently. While Abbot Tryphon just briefly touches on the topic of nature, and specifically mentions bringing flowers into the home and putting them with our icons, that's a thought I really latched onto. He explains: "God and beauty are inseparable. The beauty of a sunset is a reflection of our Creator, just as is the interior of a temple which reflects our experience with this Creator, God."

There are so many things I feel like I want to say about this, though there's little I could say that isn't already there.

But I will say this: How wonderful is this concept? How wonderful is it to have things like sunsets and bouquets of flowers that are so pure and beautiful that remind us of God?

I think that one of the things that has always attracted me to nature is knowing that it's not man-made: it happens if we desire it or not. I've always felt that when you can't see man behind something, that makes it easier to see God. Quite naturally, someone aware of God's presence becomes even more so when they see something like a sunset, something that is totally out of the control of man. It's also quite easy to romanticize something of that sort: to picture God carefully crafting each flower, selecting the colors for the different kinds, and deciding how and when they'll grow. Regardless of this, I think that we can apply this whole concept of nature to Abbot Tryphon's statement about beauty. Nature and God are inseparable because it is His creation and because it's beautiful; and it's beautiful because it's His creation! It comes full circle, friends. 

 I feel like I could write for a considerable length of time on the topic of creation, but I will save that for its own post. In the meantime, I suggest you listen to "The Morning Offering", specifically this episode. It's only four minutes long, but it has so much depth and worth! To close, I'll leave you with this last quote from Abbot Tryphon: "It is through God's created beauty that we are drawn into a relationship that is meant to be eternal, and through which divine revelation can transform our nature." 

And with those parting words, I wish you well until next time.

In Christ,

Felicia Heise