The beautiful things in life: Nature

Continuing my series on the beautiful things in life I want to talk about nature. Nature is so varied and beautiful it never ceases to amaze and intrigue me. Just as we have our own unique finger print, every snow flake is unique as is leaf on a tree. I love the diversity of nature: the multitude of shades of green on trees, the seasons each with its own special character and the rugged and rustic environments of mountains and the highlands. People may joke that the British always talk about the weather but nature is never boring! There is something almost ethereal about nature at times, such as low lying mist clinging to fields of a morning (or evening); seeing the moon in broad daylight never fails to fill me with awe and wonder.

One of nature's virtues is the theraputic and healing effect it can have; nature is a great panacea to many of life's everyday stresses. I love commuting to work every day because of the scenary and views I get as I travel across the marshes and fields. I remember very clearly one afternoon as I left work after having several bad classes and taking a back road seeing the gentle sloping fields and on the horizon the coastline with its inlets and esturies: I was immediately uplifted. The Bible speaks of nature testifying to the greatness of its creator God:

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Psalm 19:1

When I look at nature I am always reminded of its creator. Again the Bible says:

"And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Genesis 1:31

Nature is there for us to admire and to draw our attention to the one who created it. Imagine if we did not have the biodiversity on this planet that we enjoy, what a more miserable place to live it would be. There would be less incentive to travel and explore the world; and we would lack a very powerful and accessible form of inspiration in our art, poetry & music. No wonder many soldiers in the trenches during WWI longed to see England's 'green and pleasant' land again and used the beauty of the English countryside as an evocative reason to continue fighting for King and country. Nature has inspired many of the great artists throughout the ages. May it long continue to do so. Nature definitely makes life more beautiful as we think about its purity and simplicity.