Earth’s
crammed with Heaven,
And every
common bush afire with God;
But only he
who sees, takes off his shoes.
Elizabeth
Barrett Browning
I found the
above quote in a book I’m reading by Richard Foster called Sanctuary of the
Soul. In the chapter this quote is taken
from, Foster is talking about meditative prayer and discusses “beholding the
Lord.” He talks about being still in the
reflected glory of God that we see in His creation. I love this chapter and was provoked to write about my experience with beholding the Lord.
I’m captivated by the beauty in nature; often
deeply moved by the brilliant colors, sweeping movements, utter stillness, magical
sounds and intoxicating fragrances of the world outside my door. My heart is
often broken over the small percentage of time I’ve actually spent out in the
wilderness, or even just outside. There is a wild connection to something
greater than myself out there, a beauty that is real and raw and
authentic. It overwhelms my soul; it is
my Lord, my God, the wind of the Holy Spirit and He loves me in return.
He displays
His true colors for me across the sky at sunset, He kisses my check with a
gentle breeze, He tousles my hair with a strong wind, He sings to me with sweet
chirps at night and treetop songs by day.
And all I have to do is be still and receive Him; the knowledge of Him
in all His splendor. He makes Himself known to me there in the midst of His
glorious creation . . . when I am still.
When I am still I behold Him.
