After spending a year as a missionary, I will say only this:
God is to me the person who speaks his presence softly in the mountains as I climb and run in his beauty, whose sunlight bathes all of creation in luxuriant splendor, who leads the foxes and bears and other animals out to say hello and the birds to sing songs to me.
His craftsmanship is seen in the colors of the forest and in the detail of every tree and rock and in the snow as it falls gently to the ground. The beauty of the colors of Fall, the warm sunshine upon my face, the crispness of the air, the cycle of the seasons are all God’s way of showing the brilliance of his imagination.
When the trees sway in the wind, God speaks. When I rest beside the gently babbling river and finally ease my thoughts, God speaks. When I walk through the snow and hear the crunch of the soft powder under my feet, God speaks.
When I wake up early and climb up to see the mountains bathed in orange light as the sun moves over the horizon, it is God’s way of saying “good morning, Dave”. When I hear a fish jump in the lake it’s as if He is saying “I’m over here too!” When I come across a meadow full of flowers or berries, He speaks to my heart, saying “these are for you”.
When I cross over a ridge, eager to see the landscape on the other side, it is never as I imagined but always more beautiful and more rewarding; a hint of things yet to come. When I look at the glaciers as they carve their way through canyon walls and as I stare in amazement at the white and blueish crevices among them, it is as if God is saying “I created this. I have always been here and always will be. All of this is for you to explore and to revel in my beauty and creation”.
When I sit on the shore and watch the waves change direction and crash down into one another before thundering into the beach, I see God moving. When I build a campfire at night to warm myself and look back on the day’s adventure and the adventures of coming days, it is as if God is saying “this comfort and warmth is for you.”
During this year especially I have found that I will always be closer to God while enjoying the divine nature He has created and while playing with children who understand Him about as little or as much as I do, but who are yet completely content with that.
Some people may mock my understanding of God or may ask why I am so simplistic in my beliefs. I have learned that God speaks to each of us in different ways and that it is not up to any of us to judge anyone else’s understanding of how God works in their lives. Regardless of how each person affiliates themselves, I am certain that God speaks to every single one of us. For me, God speaks to my heart. He rarely directly answers the millions of questions flooding my mind. But when I step outside and get alone with Him, He answers them all. When I reach out and help others, He smiles. God directs me one gentle whisper at a time because he knows I don’t listen if he yells anyway. And so, I will continue to listen to the whispers of God and will gladly follow wherever they may lead me.
If you seek God, in whatever way you will, I am certain you will find him. He is never far away. And although I’ve had many frustrations this year and I still have many more questions than answers, I know that perhaps our greatest trait as humans is the desire to pursue the things we don’t understand and to not give in amidst the face of overwhelming adversity. So, I am by no means giving up. Rather, I will continue to pursue in my own way.
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Best,
Dave
