When nature calls... have a listen!

There are times when nature pulls at your heartstrings, drawing you out of the house and into the wild. Exploration time!  Best, in my book, is when the holiday rest includes seeking new inspiration in forests, as in our Bialowierza National Park, one of the very few primeval forests left in Europe. 

First the sights, then what I learned...

When you think of an undisturbed, old forest, what comes to your mind? About 30 percent of the trees there are no longer living, well, what I mean is, not upright.  Fallen trees, dead for all practical purposes, live on, but differently-- for all living things around them take advantage. But over the decades, those fallen trees pile up and cover the forest floor. You don't see that every day...

Then, we 'accidentally' saw (long Google map shortcut story...) a LARGE gathering of storks around a pond during a day of showers.  No, the group of 40 or 50 was not getting ready to fly back to Africa yet, but was seemingly enjoying a free buffet of baby frogs at their local watering hole.  Those huge nests of theirs, which we had passed along the way, are a common sight in this neck of the woods, offering road entertainment worthy of Disney!

The mixed forest itself, so tall and full of trees, both thriving and fallen, is a presence to be respected.  So many creatures have a home here, among them the Bison, which run free. The deer crossing signs here are fewer than the bison crossing warnings.

This forest, a former royal hunting ground, has known generations of kings, czars, and others under its branches. It stretches for tens of kilometers on both sides of the border with Belarus. And that has kept it untouched for so long...

Lessons? 

One comes to mind first. The King's land is protected.  Our Lord's domain as well.  When you think about it, we live in a protected area, not geographical, of course, but one kept from the world nonetheless. There is such safety in living according to HIS will!

Another? Yes, we fall, like those trees, over time. Death is the ultimate end for us all, but our lives can continue to influence others and spur their growth in Christ if we have that privilege.  Naturally, the comparison pales to what our lives will know in HIS domain!

But real life can thrive where God has set his protection.  Growth and a compelling atmosphere for other seekers inhabit our protected spiritual 'forest'!   

As for those storks, they are ready to find sustenance in the right places and at the right times.  A few storks we noticed at our accommodations were searching the ground after a farmer mowed.  Those brazen birds found what they were looking for in the midst of the noise of the tractor. 

We, believers, must also know 'where' to find spiritual growth if we desire to thrive in His  Kingdom. And not let anything else 'distract' us from finding it.  More and more I see how easily we are distracted from the real food we need!

Others are looking for life in Him around us, too. Only the Holy Spirit can show us what we can see in that realm.

So, if you have a holiday lesson you want to share, write, and I'll share it here!  May you have many such lessons, and may you grow mighty, like those forest giants, in HIM!  Address: rhonda1@growyourlife.net.

Picture:  almost as it was, at least according to ChatGPT 😉