"The signs of God's presence in creation -- trees and flowers, sun and stars, snow and rain, and more -- remind us that God's first language is nature and God calls us to love and cherish the good creation." ~ Henri Nouwen ~ Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life
How do the sun and stars, plants and animals,
and natural rhythms speak of God's glory,
wonder and ways?I must admit that it is
easier for me to read words on a page
than to listen for God's revelation
in the natural world and events.
~ Henri Nouwen ~
"While it is true that God is a hidden presence, we have only to let
nature speak to us about the God who is everywhere."
Henri Nouwen in "The Genese Dairy"
"It is remarkable to see how prayer and contemplation open our eyes to nature,
and how nature makes you more attentive to divine guidance. I once saw
contemplation as something done best in a monastery or behind a closed door.
Now I know that nature can be a contemplative companion."
~ Henri Nouwen ~
"Letting nature speak opens up new aspects of discerning the divine presence in what
we see dimly. What say the trees and stars? Sometimes we need to take a long walk through a forest, whether it be decorated with new growth and bright colours or in simple shades of gray, and ask God to reveal something of his ways, will and character."
Henri Nouwen ~ Discernment - Reading the Signs of Daily Life.
"We who have been nurtured by Western Christianity have much to learn from Native Americans about how to hear the voices of rivers, the trees, the birds, and the flowers,
which are constantly telling us about our own condition of life, our beauty, and our mortality."
A Wintu Indian once said: "The white people never cared for the land or deer or bear.
When we Indians kill meat, we eat it all up. When we dig roots, we make little holes ...
We shake down acorns and pine nuts. We don't cut down the trees. We only use dead wood. But the white people plow up the ground, pull up the trees, kill everything. The tree says, "Don't I am sore. Don't hurt me." But they chop it down and cut it up. The spirit of
the land hates them ... The Indians never hurt anything, but the white people destroy it all."
Henri Nouwen ~ Discernment - Reading the Signs of Daily Life.
Some day, when you don't have the time, and life is full of stress and demands, go for a walk through the woods, or just saunter (walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort) beside a river, or along a beach at a lake or ocean, and instead of listening to the voice in your head, calling you to busyness, keep silent, observe nature's beauty and be present to what you see, smell, hear, and perhaps even touch without disturbing. As Henri Nouwen suggests, "Drink deeply from the well of creation. 'Taste and see that the Lord is good.'"
Henri Nouwen ~ Discernment - Reading the Signs of Daily Life.
How do the sun and stars, plants and animals,
and natural rhythms speak of God's glory,
wonder and ways?I must admit that it is
easier for me to read words on a page
than to listen for God's revelation
in the natural world and events.
~ Henri Nouwen ~
"While it is true that God is a hidden presence, we have only to let
nature speak to us about the God who is everywhere."
Henri Nouwen in "The Genese Dairy"
"It is remarkable to see how prayer and contemplation open our eyes to nature,
and how nature makes you more attentive to divine guidance. I once saw
contemplation as something done best in a monastery or behind a closed door.
Now I know that nature can be a contemplative companion."
~ Henri Nouwen ~
"Letting nature speak opens up new aspects of discerning the divine presence in what
we see dimly. What say the trees and stars? Sometimes we need to take a long walk through a forest, whether it be decorated with new growth and bright colours or in simple shades of gray, and ask God to reveal something of his ways, will and character."
Henri Nouwen ~ Discernment - Reading the Signs of Daily Life.
"We who have been nurtured by Western Christianity have much to learn from Native Americans about how to hear the voices of rivers, the trees, the birds, and the flowers,
which are constantly telling us about our own condition of life, our beauty, and our mortality."
A Wintu Indian once said: "The white people never cared for the land or deer or bear.
When we Indians kill meat, we eat it all up. When we dig roots, we make little holes ...
We shake down acorns and pine nuts. We don't cut down the trees. We only use dead wood. But the white people plow up the ground, pull up the trees, kill everything. The tree says, "Don't I am sore. Don't hurt me." But they chop it down and cut it up. The spirit of
the land hates them ... The Indians never hurt anything, but the white people destroy it all."
Henri Nouwen ~ Discernment - Reading the Signs of Daily Life.
Some day, when you don't have the time, and life is full of stress and demands, go for a walk through the woods, or just saunter (walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort) beside a river, or along a beach at a lake or ocean, and instead of listening to the voice in your head, calling you to busyness, keep silent, observe nature's beauty and be present to what you see, smell, hear, and perhaps even touch without disturbing. As Henri Nouwen suggests, "Drink deeply from the well of creation. 'Taste and see that the Lord is good.'"
Henri Nouwen ~ Discernment - Reading the Signs of Daily Life.
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