Trails, Trees, and God Winks

Trails, Trees, and God Winks by Tiffany Ward

My family and I just came home from a quick trip to Arkansas. We enjoyed a beautiful time of fellowship in Magnolia as we connected with loved ones who have just moved back to the states from Greece. The little town they are getting established in is neat and had many wonderful God winks for me personally; where He reminded me of His promises found in His word as I explored nature. A joyous feeling came over me as we walked together on their nearby community trails. Logoly State Park had a forest that welcomed us to adventure and explore with our kiddos and our sweet little Aussie, Lucy.

We found pinecones, the tiniest jumping frogs, and fallen trees covered with foliage as they slowly decay. There was one fallen tree among the growing trees that attracted my attention fully. I was in awe of its size. Even though there were no signs of life left in the tree itself, it still amazed me how tall it had been before it had fallen.

At one point of our journey, the trail split, the guys lovingly took our children to the left, and my dear friend and I went to the right so we could enjoy connecting and chatting without the sweet and incessant interruptions of our precious kiddos. Dare I say we may have muted the shared walkie-talkie! Their energy is boundless. What a gift to see how they thrive and move through life with their fresh ideas and words. The next generation is beautiful to see and learn from. With that being said, the quiet of the forest as we walked away from our families was awe inspiring. A silent song of majesty began to hum in me. A sense of awe. This world we live in. It’s so beautiful.

I have been a sun and stars, beach, and mountain lover for much of my life. I appreciate the created things since they remind me of my Maker. Here, I find there is a significant realization for me, how small we actually are. Yet, we make so much of ourselves. There is such a fine line between a biblical definition of self-love and understanding our identity and worth is found in our Creator (see Psalm 139) and the selfishness promoted by our world, looking to find our identity inside ourselves. Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-39 “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest command, the second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

If we could just pause and ponder His glorious might long enough, we could see how near He is. We can feel it in gentle, kind, and compassionate words shared between sweet friends. This type of abiding is precious and rare for most. For my nature loving friends, when you are in nature, have you ever wondered why you feel so calm? Lean into that curiosity a little further. Why does your nervous system feel so regulated after a moment in nature? Could it be because you are beholding the beauty of our Maker as you enjoy His Creation?

When we dwell in both spoken and felt gratitude, we discover thanksgiving and praise. As we stand in awe of Him and what He created, we can begin to feel true gratitude. This type of gratitude cultivates energy in us that motivates us to life. To worship. To experience life abundantly!

Back to the trail, as we continued on our way, we encountered a closed trail…maybe some of you are encountering some closed trails on your path. Are you working on cutting a new trail? Or do you find your way carefully around the challenges? Maybe you are blazing ahead with blinders on.

After visiting with our friends, we traveled onto Lake Catherine State park to hike to a waterfall, which I didn’t personally find that impressive (I think Colorado has more exciting waterfalls) but it was neat to walk the trail. We also hiked in Hot Springs National Park, where the four of us plus doggo Lucy took a trail to a place called Goat Rock! 🐐 🪨 Wow what a view, we backtracked and onto another enchanting view at the Hot Springs Mountain Tower.

Goodness, as we walked our children enjoyed and fussed about the hike. I giggled as I thought this must be what we sound like to our Father in heaven who has adopted us and chosen us as His own. I birthed my kids and joke I won’t be returning them, they are home grown (I can’t have any more babies by way of my body)! They think their momma is crazy and fun. And it’s neat to learn from them as much or more as I know they get to learn from me.

Our need for God is great, it is literally moment to moment. I got distracted by the different rocks along the path, enjoying myself as I picked them up, imagining drilling tiny holes to turn them into pendants. These would be tangible reminders of such a meaningful family trip.

We can ponder His glorious might. How great He is. He speaks daily, do you hear him? Can you feel that he is near?

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”  - James 4:8a

He sees. He knows. He cares. Pause and ponder.

Lean into the moments that help you practice patience rather than trying to avoid them so much. I know it’s not easy, but there is a gift in really living with authentic connection to the source of life in the good or bad times. Find life, eat that fruit, dwell there, and enjoy with abundant gratitude. From my point of view, there is no other way to live on this side of eternity.

—Be Treasured