Grace’s Story Reflected in Nature

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Chapter I from Nature.

“In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair.”

Trees are part of our everyday, but grace abounds for them in the Spring and Summer storms and in the Winter cold. They sing their songs of glory in Autumn, reaching to Heaven with limbs of praise.

 

Trees are vibrant this time of year. The beauty is inescapable. Every where we look we see bright hues of God’s glory. Even as beautiful as our world is, we need to remember that it is a marred creation. When Adam sinned, he let in death and destruction. The anwer for his sin and the sin of mankind would become Jesus’s sacrifice and grace on an old tree called, Calvary.

I wondered the fields in my area lately, looking and observing.  I saw the beauty of the trees as the wind blew their limbs and leaves danced to the ground.

I saw the struggle of the insect seeking food; the decay and rotting of the leaves as plants died. But I saw glorious things too like this little Buckeye Butterfly. I watched as it flittered from flower to flower in search of nectar.

Seeing this amazing creature inspired research later. Did you know Buckeyes migrate South, thousands of miles from Ohio and other northwestern states in the fall? Then their offspring will migrate to the north again in the early spring and summer. The butterflies migrate for survival from the winter cold and for better food supplies in the summer. Their migration is a beautiful act of God’s grace toward nature.

Grace Lessons from Butterflies and Trees

What does nature teach us about the grace of God? Nature is God’s creation. She may be marred, but God loves Her and all the creatures in Her sphere and cares for Her and them just as He does us.

Also, Nature is steadfast in Her beauty despite our personal circumstances. She teaches us that we can praise and enjoy beauty even in our darkest times of grief and sorrow.

She teaches us that renewal and new beginnings are always just around the corner. The trees sing of this annual miracle the loudest in the fall as they prepare fine portraits for us to enjoy. They shed that beauty for a season of rest and then with the renewal in Spring comes more beauty.

Nature teaches us that we can overcome and press on. I don’t know why the Buckeye migrates each year, but this God creation continues to bring beauty to our world as part of God’s plan.  This creature can travel thousands of miles and survive wind, rain, and storms to fulfill His purpose. If God has a special purpose for such a small creature, I call only imagine what His purpose is for me.

 

 

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