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January 2010
Explore God’s World.
Dear Friends,
Here we are at the beginning of a new year, a time when we look forward to a fresh start, hoping to make changes for the better. New Year’s resolutions may not have the best track records, but they do serve a purpose. They present an opportunity to reflect upon our lives and to improve them.
If among your resolutions are to eat more vegetables and dust off the treadmill, good for you. These are objectives that serve us well. However, I would like to suggest another resolution that may not be quite as common. Let us resolve to explore God’s world. No, I am not suggesting a world cruise. I am thinking of something far closer to home: our own ability to discover, to appreciate, to learn.
We live such fast-paced lives, and it is easy to get trapped by the tasks of our day, to not look beyond our to-do lists. Even worst, as we get older, we may become weary and lose interest in the world around us. But this is God’s world. To be interested in it is to be interested in God. So at the beginning of this year, I encourage you to explore something new. Perhaps you might:
· Take a walk in a park and notice the different types of plant life.
· Ask your teenager why he or she enjoys a particular singer’s music.
· Choose a topic from the news and investigate it beyond the headlines.
· Take painting or piano or skiing lessons.
· Go to the library and research the history of baseball.
· Learn how to cook.
· Read a new author.
· Take up bird watching.
It isn’t what we explore that matters so much as that we make exploration part of our lives. God created this world, and He created us to live in it. Our ability to explore is one of His gifts to us. Let us give thanks for that gift and put it to good use.
I wish each of you a blessed new year.
