In the shadow of the low hanging branches, listening to the crunch of a thousand tiny stones under my feet, I feel Him move around me, inside me, throughout my body, mind and spirit. God meets me there, every time, in the cathedral He spoke into existence.

There are so many ways God is “found.” For some, it is in the institutional church, sitting in rows, listening to a teacher, singing songs written hundreds of years ago or modern choruses of few, but powerful, lyrics.

For others its in a small group of like-minded people, joining together in a living room, studying a book or discussing Scripture, sharing a meal, praying over heartbreaks and hearts’ desires.

I find Him in the forest, on the bluff, along the shore of the ocean, the river, the lake.  I find Him in the leaves, the wind, the rain.  He isn’t hiding, and my searching is not required.  He is there. Always. My heart, however, is so often closed to His presence, and it is by my own choice.

Yet, when I am outside in His artistry, it is effortless.  Even with the sweat dripping into my eyes and my calves crying out with every climbing step, as I judiciously sip my water to make it last until the end, He is so completely present with each breath and every thought.  He isn’t just a personality outside of me, He is my essence.

In nature, I’m not tempted to pull out my hair.  I don’t feel stress, or boredom, loneliness, anger, angst, regret or despair.  I only feel Him around me, inside me, throughout me. In nature I am not merely home, I am whole.