My Beautiful Creator

Oh wow, I can't even begin to put into words my wonderful experience with God last night. It was just way too cool. But I'll try to explain it a little. :)

Well see, lately I've been having my quiet time outside under this huge oak tree on the hill behind our house, and it's such a beautiful, quiet spot. Yesterday it had rained, so I decided I would have my quiet time in bed before I go to sleep like I used to always do. But I really needed to pray, but I just wanted to do it outside where I was alone with God. It was still wet and it was gettin dusky outside, but it had stopped raining, so I went up on our hill and was about to sit down under that special oak tree when I saw and remembered some beautiful honeysuckle growing on a fallen tree just a few yards away. But the beautiful thing about them was that they were white and pink! They were so gorgeous! And I was even more amazed because it's the end of September, and there they are growing! And let me mention a side-note really quick: The other day, on like Sept 21, I was kinda sad because it was like the last day of summer (even though I really like the fall too). It's just that it's been such a wonderful summer, I didn't want to see it go. But after I told God about that, I saw those gorgeous honeysuckle (which typically are summer plants, right?), and I think He was giving me a little hug. Or maybe a big hug, just because He's God and He does that sometimes. So I walked over there and looked at them, and I could smell them- maybe because of the fresh rain- and it was just so pretty. I wanted to get a good picture of them, so I tried to take some, but I just couldn't capture the way they looked as I was seeing them- they were just so beautiful! But here are a few of the pics I got:

This is just some of the beauty I was surrounded by. And this was just the beginning of everything I saw yesterday.

(Ok, in the first pic in this row, do you see the little tiny cluster of white a little to the left above my head? Well, that was the honeysuckle! Just those few little ones! And yet they were growing so prettily. And, well in the other one of me you can't necessarily see the nature around me, but I just thought it'd be a fun pic. lol )

Well, so after I saw these beautiful honeysuckle, I was already pretty much amazed with God and His beauty, so I decided I wanted to see more. So I just began walking. Now see, we don't live on a farm or anything, and we actually don't have many woods either, but there are some behind our house. So I just went walking, and I was praying and praising God for His beauty. That just kept popping into my mind (or it does now anyway). Beauty. God is a huge, mighty, powerful, awesome, star- breathing God (see Louie Giglio speak of this on the How Great is Our God tour), and yet He cares enough about the little things- like us- to make us happy. To excited us. To exhilarate us. We're so blessed to have a creative God. A God of beauty.

Next I went up a little ways to this tree that had fallen and been pulled up out of the ground, and it's roots and everything were so huge, it made a little crevice in the earth. Again, a camera obviously can't capture everything the way I was seeing it, but it helps. A lot. So here's this, well, root...

This might not seem very beautiful to you. Actually it didn't really strike me as beautiful either. But it was soo cool and I just really liked it.

I was in a very wonderful mood by now. Actually I was when I began with the honeysuckle. But I was getting more excited now. I decided to walk around some more. I mean, I had no idea where exactly our property line ended, but our neighbors are all so nice and wonderful, I'm sure they wouldn't mind me walking around in their woods too. I mean, after all, they're woods, right? And plus, who would I be bothering? It's not like most people go hiking around in the rainy woods behind their houses. Well, besides me maybe. So anyway, I walked on, more and more amazed at the beauty and creation around me. And Iwas thinking "Why haven't I done this before? Why don't I do this all the time?? I have an awesome God!" And I realized my problems were very, very small and insignificant compared to our huge amazing God. Yet He cares about them anyway! He cares about me! I was just swept off my feet, and I realized that God was saying "Everything will be ok" and I was just like "God, You are so amazing." He really is. I hope you know that. Because after I came inside, I knew I couldnt keep this to myself. We're supposed to share about what God does for us. We're supposed to tell of His mighty acts, even if that's just a little walk through the woods. So I hope I'm getting my point across. Our God is amazing. I want you to know that OUR GOD IS AMAZING!!!

So I was just thinking all this stuff, and I couldn't really stop smiling. I'm sure it probably was a sight- some 17 year old girl walking around in the woods on a rainy evening with my boots on, my camera in hand, and a smile I couldn't wipe off my face. The good thing is- no one saw me! haha. So anyway, I was seeing all this beautiful stuff, but I obviously couldn't get pictures of it all. But I saw pretty leaves and tiny lavendar flowers and just all kinds of stuff. But this next thing I'm about to show you actually made me smile so much. I don't remember, I may've even laughed or made some exclamation or a gasp or something. Again, a camera can't portray the amazing thing I was seeing. I mean, the whole tree looked like this! But here's a little portion of it:

I did these pics extra big because I wanted you to see how awesome they looked. Like, all this fungi stuff is growing from them and it's absolutely amazing!

Well, then I went on, amazed all the while, and then I saw a maple tree, and I was like "We have a maple tree?!"- I think I said that aloud. So then I got a picture of one of its pretty, wet leaves.

Then I also saw this really cool lookin stump that was pretty and had more of that cool fungi stuff growin on it, along with leaves and other green things. So here's a picture of that too. (Ok, here I was practically in a neighbor's back yard. Well, I guess you wouldn't call it yard, but you know what I mean. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, but after I took the pic, I scurried back into "our" woods for a little while.)

Well, so that is the last picture I took while I was on my little walk with God, although I still saw some cool stuff. But I was (and still am) just so wowed at His creation. At His majesty and His power. His compassion and His creativity. His beauty. I felt so in love with Him. When I came in, I was just so happy- like I still couldn't stop smiling. I took my Bible and went up on our hill to have a prayer time with God, but I didnt even open it up. He ended up not speaking to me throught His Word that day- but through His creation. Through His creativity. And through His beauty.