Tag Archives: nature

Finding Inspiration and Creativity through Beauty

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Salt Water

Have you ever had salt water? Maybe as a mouth rinse or maybe after getting dunked in the ocean? It’s a nasty experience. One you’ve gotten that salty taste on your tongue and on your lips, it’s hard to get rid of it. The only way to get it out of your mouth is to drink fresh water or something else to wash away that salty taste.

Salt can do so much good. It can add flavor to food; it can preserve meat. But too much salt makes you gag. I remember my brother-in-law made an apple pie for a party once, and he accidentally used salt instead of sugar. We took one bite of that pie and spit it out; it was terrible. Salt is only good in small quantities, and you definitely can’t live on salt water. You have to have fresh, clean water to survive.

Salt Water vs. Fresh Water

I read a verse in my morning time this week that caught my attention. James talks about this concept of bitter water and fresh water.

 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?  Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

James 3:11,12

That phrase, you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring, caught my attention. You can’t get fresh water from salt water; it’s just not going to happen.

Feeling Empty

If you’re at a place in life where you’re discouraged, tired, worn out, bitter, frustrated…there will be no inspiration, no creativity. There will be no fresh ideas, dreaming, and excitement about the future. That’s not a fun place to be; I know because I’ve been there. I’ve also been on the other side, the side that’s teeming with life, ideas, creativity, and excitement.

What do you do when you get stuck in that worn out and discouraged cycle? What do you do when you feel like you’re drawing from a salty spring instead of fresh water? One of the best ways to combat this feeling is to find beauty.

Recognizing Beauty

Rebekah Lyons, in her book , Building a Resilient Life, says this:

When we recognize beauty, we encounter the divine. God himself draws us close, and we behold him, the author of beauty itself.

When I realized I was more obsessed with what was broken than with what was beautiful, I made some changes. I took more walks in nature, looking for the God-created beauty all around. I noticed baby birds singing a chorus in a nest above my head, natural springs with the sound of water gurgling under a rock, and a green tunnel of leaves with a soft, mossy floor where a mama fox protected her young.

Encountering beauty isn’t just about noticing the natural beauty in the world around you; it’s about noticing the beautiful things God has planted inside you and allowing those things to flourish. It’s about reclaiming your creativity and seeing how that creativity is a God-given thing.

Building a Resilient Life

Finding Beauty

One of the best ways to find creativity, fresh ideas, and encouragement is to find beauty both in the world around us and in what God is doing in and through us.

Beauty can be found in so many places, some of which we don’t expect. We found beauty yesterday at a funeral, not the typical place to find beauty. Our neighbor passed away last week, and Matt had the privilege of doing the funeral. At the funeral, Matt told everyone there that yes, he was a pastor and was officiating the service. But he told them that he was more than a pastor; he was a neighbor. What’s amazing is that there were two other neighbors at the funeral as well. Because of that funeral, the gospel went out to our neighbors. There is beauty in that. There is beauty in seeing God’s grace flow out during a time of sorrow and connecting us as more than neighbors, as people created God in God’s image.

10 Ways to Find Beauty

When we get discouraged and feel there is nothing good around us, it’s time to look around. Find beauty in what God has created and where he is working. Here are a few ideas and ways to find beauty:

  1. Take a nature walk.
  2. Listen to beautiful music.
  3. Read an inspirational and uplifting book.
  4. Do something for somebody else to show love.
  5. Take a scenic drive.
  6. Express yourself creatively- through art, music, writing, poetry, crafting…whatever it is that you love to do creatively.
  7. Make a list of the good in your life.
  8. Get up early to watch the sunrise.
  9. Sit beside water and be still.
  10. Visit a garden, arboretum, or other nature place.

If you’re finding yourself in a place of no creativity, no life, and only discouragement, take the time this weekend to find beauty. Find something fresh and new to give you life.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, read my post, How Nature Helps Me Combat Discouragement.

12 Fall Things that Create Breathing Room for Your Soul

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12 Fall things that Create Breathing Room

Fall is the best time to enjoy nature! Sometimes when life gets too heavy and the burdens are too much to bear, the best thing we can do is take a break from it all and get out into nature. We had the chance to do that this week. We drove about three hours away on Tuesday of this week for a conference. The conference was in Central PA, and it was absolutely gorgeous! The leaves were already starting to turn, the mornings were crisp and cool, and the sunrises and sunsets were amazing.

My Fall Video from Yesterday

I made a quick video yesterday that I shared to Facebook. I wasn’t planning on doing a video, as you can tell from my look, but Matt talked me into doing it. It’s just a short clip, but I wanted to share with you what I was seeing.

Nature is like a balm for my soul. When I get stressed, when the burdens get too heavy, when I just need a break, nature gives me that. Fall is the absolute best time of year to get away and enjoy nature—to watch the leaves change, enjoy the cooler weather and crisp mornings, and enjoy pumpkin coffee, apple cider donuts, and all things fall.

12 Fall Things You Can Do

I just wanted to share a few things that I do in fall that brings peace and enjoyment into my fall season and help me to enjoy the beauty of fall.

  1. Go on an overnight somewhere. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be long. Even just 24 hours away can be such a huge blessing. Pick a place that’s surrounded by beautiful nature.
  2. Get up early and go see a sunrise. Grab a coffee so you can be awake to enjoy a beautiful fall sunrise.
  3. Go for a nature walk. Getting out in nature even for just an hour or two can make such a difference. Go somewhere that has lots of trees, that’s away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Find a place that’s quiet, where you can reflect and have quiet time. I’m all about spending time with people and getting together with people, but sometimes you just need some peace and quiet.
  4. Go apple picking. Our family loves doing this. It’s so fun and easy. It gets you out and into nature. You spend time as a family; and when you’re done, you get to enjoy delicious apples.
  5. Grab a pumpkin muffin, apple cider donut, or a coffee and go for a drive. This is so easy and something that we do all the time. It’s especially great if you have little kids and need a break. Put everybody in the car, buckle them in, and give them a device to watch, a book to look at, a coloring book and crayons, or a toy to play with—whatever will keep them busy, so you can enjoy the drive. Drive somewhere that you can see the leaves changing, that’s beautiful to look at, and just enjoy the scenery. Listen to some good music or a podcast.
  6. Pick a Saturday morning and spend some time baking. Bake some pumpkin bread, apple crisp, spice cookies…something that you love for fall. Make extra to take to your neighbors. We’ve done this, and it’s such a blessing. It’s encouragement to your neighbors, but it’s also great for you. You get to spend time as a family doing something for other people. We put on good music and just enjoy the time in the kitchen together.
  7. This one may not be for everybody, but some of you may really enjoy it. Pack up some art supplies and go find a quiet soothing, place that has beautiful nature. Do a chalk pastel drawing or a painting and just relax and enjoy creating art. There are so many free tutorials online. We love Nana from You Are an Artist. She has lots of free fall chalk pastel drawings. They’re not hard; anybody can do them, and they’re fun and easy. If you like creating, if you love art, this one’s for you.
  8. This one is for my fellow book lovers. Go to Barnes & Noble or go to your favorite bookstore and treat yourself to a book. I mostly read books on my Kindle, but there’s something about having a book in hand. Treat yourself to a book, get a coffee or a snack, and go someplace to read. Find a beautiful place and just enjoy some quiet, peaceful time reading.
  9. Go buy yourself a beautiful fall journal. Take it somewhere quiet in nature. Take a good pen, grab a coffee, and just sit and journal. Here’s some questions to answer in your journal: What am I frustrated about right now? What’s going right in my life? What is God doing in my life that’s working for good right now? What am I thankful for? Sometimes journaling gives us perspective and helps to bring clarity when we need it. It helps us figure out where we want to go and what we want to change. It helps get your thoughts down on paper so you can clear your mind and bring breathing room to our soul.
  10. Go to a Panera by yourself and get a nice warm bowl of soup. Take a book to enjoy, a laptop to work on, a journal to write in… anything that brings life to you. Enjoy some good and some quiet time to yourself.
  11. Buy some apples and some blocks of caramel and make caramel apples. It sounds complicated, but it’s really not. It’s nice and easy and something the whole family can enjoy. Making caramel apples doesn’t take a lot of money and doesn’t take a lot of work; so it’s a win-win.
  12. Create a new family fall tradition. It may be discovering a new farm, a new fall treat, pumpkin carving, going to a new area, or discovering a new nature park. Find something new that you can start doing year after year that you can look forward to as a family.

So those are just a few ideas to get you started. Pick a few to try and add to this list. Let me know what you end up doing to bring more peace and breathing room into your fall.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, read my post 10 Things You Can Do to Combat Burnout or check out my book: Finding Free: 5 Simple Steps to a More Peaceful, Content, and Happy You.