He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10 NIV

A gentle rain settled the dust prior to my pasture trek to the mailbox. The outing offered nurturing gifts:

-A conversation with an inquisitive newborn calf

-Scratches for the old donkey

-Surveillance by the resident Eagle from atop his lookout tree

-Grasshoppers animating blades of grass

-Doves harvesting grass seeds

-An owl hooting to his mate

-Remnants of a radiant rainbow

and

-A shimmering silvery sunset

I paused to absorb the quiet beauty, for I knew it would quickly pass. Darkness would inevitably fall. The rainbow and sunset would fade.

But, for that instant, I could rest in the quiet beauty when all was well. I must not miss those moments, for they are rare among the rush of the world. They exist as God’s good gifts, like His Son, His Salvation, His grace, His love, and His ever-present counselor, His Holy Spirit.

Father, thank You for those interludes of beauty and calm. Let me acknowledge them as Your offerings to mankind and to me. May I see within them Your boundless mercy and grace. In Your Son’s name I pray, amen.

Linda Lesniewski