Spring is in the air! After months of winter chill and icy-cold mornings, nature is starting to thaw. Flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, birds are singing and warm winds are wafting. The sky is bluer and the grass is greener.
It’s certainly easy to behold the beauty of God’s creation when it erupts in colour, birdsong and new life in Spring.
It’s not only a delight for our senses, but uplifting for our souls.
In fact, recent studies suggest that living close to nature, or “greenspace” has significant and wide-ranging health benefits, such as lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and stress.
Observe the beauty of the trees, which were made pleasing to the eye and good for food (Gen. 2:9).
Take time to smell the roses, and be amazed by the myriads of flowers with different colours and scents. There are more than 400,000 different types of flowering plants. Jesus told us to consider the lilies of the field. Not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of them (Matt 6:28-29).
No matter how hard humans try, we can’t replicate the science of making a plant from seed and causing it to grow, with the resulting blossom of colour, texture, scent and symmetry, as well as nectar and pollen, food for the birds and bees.
Consider the blue sky. Peaceful, soft blue colours cause the body to produce calming chemicals. In fact, blue is the most calming colour in the world. Strong blues stimulate clear thought, and softer blues calm the mind and aid concentration. If the sky was red we would all have higher blood pressure.
In Psalm 23 we read God makes us lie down in green pastures. Green is perhaps the most perfect contrast colour. It reflects nature and vitality. According to scientists, there are at least a million hues of green that the human eye can perceive. (Being able to distinguish between them is another story.)
As well as the physical beauty of God’s creation, we also have the ability to appreciate the musical beauty. There are about 830 species of birds in Australia and almost 200 in New Zealand, including a variety of songbirds. Their songs are highly complex and can contain dozens of notes per second, and they never sing out of key!
So next time you find yourself outdoors, take time to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation this Spring, and meditate on His wisdom and creativity. And why don’t you plan some quiet time with God in His cathedral of creation.
“Creation is awe-inspiring because it reflects the infinite wisdom and power of the One who conceived it” —Dean Ohlman.
He has made everything beautiful in its time … (Eccl. 3:11).
For more on the magificence of God’s creation, read Celebrating the Wonder of Creation
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