Forget the Box...Just Think Outside
by Dave Gillogly
Psalm 16:11 says, “In thy presence is the fullness of joy.” I’ve discovered a shortcut into His presence: I open my door and step outside. Nothing brings me into the sense of his presence like being in his creation. And this time of year only amplifies the feeling.
Richard Foster, the author of Celebration of Disciplines, was at a spiritual retreat when a friend asked if he’d like to go for a walk. When he asked where, his friend replied, “I just want to get out where things work the way they’re supposed to.” Being outside brings a sense of being part of the way things ought to be, just as God made them, without pretense or affectation or desire to be something different. John Muir said, “I never saw a discontented tree.” Closely observing nature reminds us that we, too, are part of His creation and can relax and accept ourselves the way He made us.
Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” And the poet Kat Lehmann said, “Each of us is as true as a tree, and as right as a river.” There is a sense of peace when we accept ourselves as a creation of God and belong to Him as much as any mountain or oak tree.
The Bible repeatedly tells us that nature points us to God: the heavens declare His glory,the rocks and the hills cry out and the trees of the field clap their hands. Here again I’m relying on others:
“Nature is the one song of praise that never stops singing.” - Richard Ruhr
“Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God.” - John Muir
“Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we were looking through the gates of Heaven.” - John Lubbock
My wife, Millicent, says that every sunset is God’s love letter to her. Here again, nature is illustrating a truth about God. Though the sunset is everyone’s, it’s effect and impression on Millicent is unique to her. God casts His love over everyone, but it uniquely lives within each believer personally.
When showing people around Yellowstone Park, I remind them not only to focus on the magnificent vistas, but also to see the little masterpieces beneath their feet. This is where we are shown even more of God’s creativity and extravagance. And you don’t have to be in a national park, or any park, to see His creative magnificence. It’s right there in your yard.
Theresa of Avila said, “Look for God in the little things, for He is everywhere.”
“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.” - Aristotle
“The wonder of a single snowflake outweighs the wisdom of a million meteorologists.” - Francis Bacon
“For in the dew of little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” - Khalil Gibran
The time you spend examining the precise artistry of a flower blossom, laughing at a mockingbird’s musical repertoire or marveling at the strength and energy of the tiniest ant at work is a kind of meditation and nearly always results in a sense of peace and wonder and a prayer of praise.
A few years ago, while stopped at a traffic light in Idaho Falls, Idaho, I learned some new words from a bank reader board. (Yeah, who would have guessed? I also learned you could get a cheap auto loan.) Anyway, one of the words was selcouth. A selcouth is something rare, strange and yet marvelous. When I’m outside, I look for selcouths, and I’m never disappointed. John Muir again, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
So here’s your assignment: go outside sometime today and find a selcouth. Then take Andy Warhol’s advice and “…let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.” Finally, heed Mary Oliver: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” Find your selcouth, be thrilled and astonished, then cry out, “Praise You, Lord, how great are the works of your hands.”
Amen.
*The title was plagiarized from a t-shirt.
Author Bio
The author used to be Dave Gillogly. If he’s downtown or at a meeting, he’s Erin’s dad. Around Council Road, he is Miss Millie’s husband. A member of Council Road for 42 years, he has taught Bible Study classes, directed departments, served as a deacon and on a number of committees. He also served on the boards of the Oklahoma Baptist Foundation and Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children. He is currently hanging out with some young guys (they call it mentoring; he’s the one who is learning), he writes a little, and with Miss Millie, spends three months a year communing with God’s creatures (especially trout) in Montana next to Yellowstone Park. In previous lives, he served on Governor David Boren’s staff, was Commissioner (CEO) of the Oklahoma State Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund, managed two independent oil companies, served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Express Employment Professionals and was adjunct professor in the Paul Dickinson College of Business at Oklahoma Baptist University.