Your Soul Needs the Wild

Last week I was in Colorado with my girlfriend, and she and I and our friend Matt went on a hike into the Los Pinos canyon in the Weminuchie Wilderness Area. As we were walking and talking I realized that the longer I follow Jesus, the more spiritual my time in the wilderness and out in Creation becomes. It landed on me as never before how much of God there is to see in the mountains, woods, fields, rivers, oceans, and skies. Our Sacred Writtings seem to confirm this (Psalm 19, Romans 1). Charles Spurgeon said it like this: "Every man may hear the voices of the stars. Many are the languages of terrestrials, to celestials there is but one, and that one may be understood by every willing mind." So, this is my encouragement to myself and anyone else to spend more time out in Creation away from the glory of men and in the Glory of God. To deprive yourself, or anyone else, of time in Creation is not too far removed from being deprived of Holy Scripture. Both reveal God. Obviously the Holy Writ does so with much more clarity and precision, but that is not to say that the woods and the wilds are not important. If you want to know God, experience God, and see God, then neglecting time in Creation is not an option. Your soul needs the wild. Once again, Charles Spurgeon says it well: "Strange is it that some who love God are yet afraid to study the God-declaring book of nature."