I think the earth is praying in the stillness of this morning, thanking God for the beautiful spring that quickly turned into a glorious hot summer. The earth is bursting at the seams with the revival of its greening and the awakening of the blooming flowers. The earth is adorned with God’s loving care. It’s so wonderfully quiet on my street this morning. I can hear the summer leaves rustle when the wind blows. I love mornings like this. The wind chimes are faintly pinging. Even the bird symphony is playing softly. The two squirrels are just sitting still on the water oak limbs. I’m reminded of the Bible verse from Psalm 4:4, “Be still and know I am God.” The earth is in quiet repose acknowledging God’s presence. I think we hear God in the stillness of life. Course we can hear him in the chaos of life, too.

1 Peter 3:4 states, “Let the inward adornment of your hearts, the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, be your treasure.” I think this is a beautiful verse of scripture. God sees our inner beauty. He’s not concerned with our outward appearance. God wants us to have a gentle quiet spirit characterized by patience and humility. He doesn’t want us to be timid in our faith. God wants us to have the strength and composure to do what’s right in his teachings.

I’ve been lazy all day, sitting on the porch swing watching the birds, enjoy the cooling of a few light rain showers. Saw the neighborhood hawk fly by this morning clutching a little creature in his talons. Didn’t look big enough to make much of a meal. All the songbirds left the feeders in a hurry when he came by, guess they didn’t see he’d already grabbed his breakfast. Filled up lots of the feeders with sunflower seeds this morning. The quarreling purple finches are piggies on the feeders. They fight and argue so I don’t see how they have time to eat.

Today was pretty in an overcast sky of purples and cigar smoke gray colored clouds. The sun tried but she never burned a hole in the thick clouds for her rays to peek through. I watched the clouds form and meld together then break apart and become new again. Occasionally their heavy bellies dropped a light rain. Oldest brother came by and we sat in the swings talking of birds and gardens. He always walks over to my garden to check on my tomatoes and to see if I’m following his gardening advice. One of the tomatoes my youngest son planted for me has ten tomatoes on it. The ones I planted are just blooming. My green thumb is getting old like me.

I’ve run across some quotes that need some pondering today. Jacquel Small said, “We are not human beings trying to be spiritual. We are spiritual beings trying to be human.” I’ve been studying on that one for a while. Maybe we all search for what makes ourselves come alive, what makes us function on the planet Earth. We need to connect our lives with God to grow spiritually. I think a spiritual person brings their happiness with them and understands that life is not always an easy path to trod. Maybe they just go with the flow knowing God is with them and guiding them. They realize storms are on the horizon but they just look for the promise of God’s sunshine in the midst of the thunderstorms. I guess we are all spiritual beings created by God. This quote I’m still pondering on.

The sunset, hidden by a thick cloud curtain, was so pretty tonight in my mind. As I shut my eyes and lay my head back on the swing chain, I could imagine the sun filtering through the leaves of an old magnolia tree across the street. The sun’s rays were visible in a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors radiating out from her bright yellow ball. I could see the rays shooting from the sun, the colors like a prism’s shadow, could feel the warmth on my face. As the sun dropped on the horizon a watercolor wildfire of oranges and reds and yellows blazed up from Mother Nature’s paint brushes. The fire burned bright and hot as Father Sky escorted the sun down the horizon slowly extinguishing the flames with the coolness of the twilight’s breath. As darkness fell, the lingering clouds were colored in pastel pale shades of pinks and blues and oranges briefly beautiful before dissipating. I love having an imagination. Mine’s always working overtime.

I look at the sunset as art produced by Mother Nature and Father Sky but I know God controls their paint brushes and their pastels. “Art has something to do with the achievement of stillness in the midst of chaos. A stillness which characterizes prayer, too, and the eye of the storm…an arrest of attention in the midst of distraction,” George Plimpton. I love this quote and think of the stillness of sunset and the quiet of the day’s gloaming, the period after sunset and before the darkness of night. The wondrous colors of the day’s ending brushed across the sky and the horizon bring me peace and a calm that assures me God is nearby.

1 Peter 3:4 states, “Let the inward adornment of your hearts, the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, be your treasure.” I think this is a beautiful verse of scripture. God sees our inner beauty. He’s not concerned with our outward appearance. God wants us to have a gentle quiet spirit characterized by patience and humility. He doesn’t want us to be timid in our faith. God wants us to have the strength and composure to do what’s right in his teachings.

We’re always hoping for something to happen or something to change when we say our prayers, seeking God’s voice and his decisions on our questions. We have to trust when he answers our prayers that he knows best even when we don’t understand. Prayer helps us hold on to hope. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,” Mark 11:24. Even when our requests aren’t answered God gives us strength and guidance and comfort. We have to believe he walks beside us and protects us when storm clouds gather.

“As you walk through the valley of the unknown, you will find the footprints of Jesus both in front of you and beside you.” — Charles Stanley