Psalm 23:1-3
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”
Being that I only moved to Orange County last summer, there is still a lot that I’m learning about my new town and its surrounding cities. I’ve never had to explore a new place before, but it’s so exciting. I am in awe of the gorgeous homes I see every day and the deep blue ocean they overlook. I love finding new “hole in the wall” places to eat and cute “mom & pop” businesses to shop in. I’ve found my go-to beaches and discovered the best times to go and best places to park.
However, I think one of my favorite locations I’ve discovered is in Newport. If you live in the area, you’ve probably seen or been to the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve. When I first started working for St. Andrew’s, a friend of mine from college offered to show me around Newport. Months later, I still don’t know a whole lot about the city, but he introduced me to this gem.
Every now and then, we walk the trail together, and I find new things to appreciate about the preserve each time I walkthrough. Last week, we ventured off the trail and down to the water, where we sat in comfortable silence for a very long time. It was so quiet. I watched the water flow by silently and whenever it got a bit too warm, a nice breeze would come through. My soul was definitely refreshed that day, as David’s was in Psalm 23, but I began pondering some big questions.
When I see beauty in any form—nature, art, food, other people—I am just baffled at how one wouldn’t believe in God. When I smell the ocean and look at the trillions of grains of sand on the beach, all I can think about is how mighty and all-powerful our Creator is. When I go to the doctor and they explain the in-depth way my body works and all the pieces that are moving together, I’m amazed by the intelligence of God. When I feel the warmth of the sunshine and remember that if the Earth was just an inch closer to the sun we could die, I am in awe of the meticulous detail the Lord put into our universe. I don’t know how anyone can justify Earth’s existence from a “big bang” or to not even question our existence at all. The beauty of our world—the green pastures and quiet waters—is all I need to know God is real and present in our everyday lives.
We often get so caught up in the big things in life that we forget to focus on the small things, like the grains of sand on the beach and the sun on our skin and the way our bodies work in our favor. Today, look for the small things in your life that remind you of God’s glory. I guarantee there will be quite a few on your list!