Faithful in the Ordinary: Enjoying Creation

One of the most ordinary (and overlooked) places we encounter God is outside.

A morning walk. The chirping of birds before the rest of the neighborhood wakes up. Sunlight filtering through the trees to warm your face. The slightly sweet scent of wet pavement after a long-needed thunderstorm. The multitude of colors of a sunset that stops us in our tracks on our way home from work.

It's easy to rush past these moments. We all live busy lives! Yet Scripture invites us to slow down and pay attention:

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (Psalm 19:1).

Creation isn't God. But it is one of the ways God reveals himself. As Paul writes, God's "eternal power and divine nature" have been clearly seen in what has been made (Romans 1:20). Long before we open our Bibles each morning, the sun has already preached a sermon about God's faithfulness. Before we hear a hymn, the birds are already singing.

One of the gifts of spending time in nature is that it reminds us we are creatures too. We are not machines designed for endless productivity. We were created by God, for God, and invited to enjoy His world.

One of the things I've come to appreciate most recently is being able to walk to work. The university where I work lies alongside a set of four lakes, and each morning I have the opportunity to walk past the water. I love watching the wildlife in all seasons: The baby geese growing each day in the spring; the turtles digging holes to lay their eggs in early summer; the flocks migrating to warmer suns further south in the fall.. What could easily become just another part of my daily commute has become a quiet reminder of God's goodness, complexity, humor (baby geese are so silly!), and presence.

These walks have also reminded me that creation is a gift to be enjoyed and one entrusted to our care. When we experience the beauty of God's world firsthand, we begin to understand why Scripture calls us to steward it well. The Christian Reformed Church's Creation Care statement often reminds us that "the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" (Psalm 24:1). Because the world belongs to God, we move through it not as owners but as people granted the gift of taking care of it.

Caring for creation isn't simply about protecting natural resources; it's about preserving the goodness of God's handiwork so that others, too, can delight in a sunrise over the water, stop to listen to birdsong on a summer morning, or experience the peace of listening to the wind whistle through frozen pine needles int he winter.

Perhaps that's one reason God so often meets people in gardens, on mountains, by lakes, in whale bellies, and along dusty roads throughout Scripture. Jesus himself often withdrew to lonely places to pray. He taught using seeds, sparrows, lilies, vineyards, storms, sheep, and fig trees. He seemed remarkably attentive to the created world because He knew it pointed beyond itself to the Father.

Creation also has a way of putting our worries into perspective. Mountains remind us of God's greatness. Oceans remind us of his power. The steady rhythm of the seasons reminds us that God remains faithful, even when our own lives feel uncertain.

Being faithful in the ordinary doesn't always require doing something extraordinary for God. Sometimes it simply means noticing what he has already done.

This month, the Network cohort is exploring what it means to be Faithful in the Ordinary. We're reminded that much of our faith is formed not in the extraordinary, but instead in the rhythms of daily life. Whether we're caring for others, going to work, sharing a meal, praying, or taking a walk through the neighborhood God has placed us in, these ordinary moments shape us over time into people who know, love, and follow Christ.

In a culture that often celebrates the dramatic and the spectacular, Scripture reminds us that God is present in the everyday. God meets us in our daily routines, and in the beauty of the world he has made. Learning to slow down and delight in creation is one simple way of cultivating hearts that are attentive to his presence.

So this week, spend a little time outside:

Walk slowly.

Look carefully.

Listen quietly.

Whether you're watching the sunrise, digging around a garden, strolling around your neighborhodd, or sitting in the shade under a tree, ask God to help you see his glory reflected in his creation. Let the ordinary beauty of the natural world remind you of the extraordinary Creator who made it all, and let that awareness draw you into deeper worship, gratitude, and care for others and the creation God has placed us in.