Author Catherine McNeil finds that she experiences the closest connection to God when she’s exploring or meditating on the wonders of nature. Specifically, her garden represents cycles of life. Seasons in life inevitably bring about change, and that reality reminds her to press in to God and depend on Him.
“I do have a garden, and I love to be outside and watch God’s action unfold under my fingertips,” McNeil says. “Every single spring, life comes back and it flourishes. It becomes incredibly busy and chaotic and abundant, and then it begins to die back again. And I’ve seen God’s faithfulness in every season in my garden.”
In whatever busyness of life we’re navigating or whatever little experience we’re enjoying, we must remember to invite God in, McNeil says on Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. Praying without ceasing allows Christ to then begin to transform our perspective into one of peace and confidence.
“Take a moment to look around you; whether it’s looking outside and seeing that it’s snowing or that the sun is shining … Are you frustrated or worried? Invite God into that reality,” McNeil says. “Invite God into that anxiety or that excitement or that sunshine or that snow and just take a moment to be with God.
“And that’s not something we’re probably going to succeed at doing every minute of the day. You know, we’re busy; we do get distracted, but I think if we can begin a practice of inviting God into whatever we’re feeling, whatever we’re doing today, He will start to transform our minds, and we will start to see through the eyes of the Spirit.”
To listen to the rest of this episode, titled Find Hope Through Nature with Catherine McNiel, click here.
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