By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

The world in which we live is changing rapidly, many times daily.  One thing our COVID-19 quarantine or shelter-in-place orders have given us is more time, it seems.  Of course we’ve always each had 24 hours in our day.  But doesn’t it seem as if a lot of those hours were wasted?  For so many of us now, there seems to be the extra time we’ve wanted for reading a good book, cleaning out the garage, or simply enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.

This particular picture is from the beautiful Anna Ruby Falls near Helen, Georgia.  These water falls, as beautiful as they are, require time and effort to reach.  You must hike quite a ways up a mountain side pathway in order to experience the beauty of the falls.  But I assure you, the time is well worth spent.

How are you spending your time?  Believe me, I understand that there seems to be trouble all around us.  Folks are in a panic.  The economy seems to be in trouble.  Jobs are in jeopardy.  Our health is in danger.  However, God hasn’t changed.  He hasn’t moved.  He is ever-present.  He knows all about it.  And the beauty of His creation is something to behold.

The birds are singing.  The roses are more beautiful than I’ve seen them in several years.  And the clear cool water will continue to flow.  Sometimes it requires an effort to behold, though.  Maybe you can’t leave your home or property right now, but get up out of that easy chair.  Explore the yard or just sit by the window or on the back porch.  You might not see a water fall, but I can promise you that God’s beauty and His presence are evident all around you.

Try focusing on nothing but His beauty this week.  It won’t necessarily make the problems go away, but your focus and your attitude (and perhaps your blood pressure) will all benefit.  At the top of that mountain side, the beauty of the water falls and surrounding area was breathtaking.  And this was so, because we did not focus on the long, very steep hike back down the mountain!  We were only focused on the beauty of it all.

Praying for a beautiful week for you.