Being Thankful is a Form of Worship

This little creek is beautiful in the fall.

I had a million things to do that day. I had toilets to scrub and floors to vacuum. Still, I could feel God beckoning me outdoors. There was a cold front moving in and the temperatures were expected to drop drastically over the following days.

I had been planning to take some fall leaf photos, but I had planned to take them over the weekend. However, I knew if it was really cold, I would not likely go outside. I’m a Southern girl to the bone and if it’s less than sixty degrees outside, it’s too cold. But, this day, it was still in the seventies outside.

I finally turned off the vacuum cleaner and pushed it to the side and grabbed my camera. I’ve really been working hard on listening to God’s call and obeying it. I’ll admit, when I get busy or focused on doing something, it gets harder to hear and even harder to obey. But, I did.

As usual, I was rewarded for any act of obedience. My neighborhood is breathtaking this time of year. As much as I love the spring, fall runs a close race in the beauty of God’s creativity. When I go out with a camera to specifically look for the beauty, I’m so amazed at what I see. I’m also kind of ashamed at what I miss and take for granted in my daily rush.

You just can’t appreciate the color of a single leaf from inside a car.

The beauty of a single leaf just can’t be appreciated from inside a car. I don’t really appreciate it when I’m taking a brisk walk or running either. No, there’s something about taking a camera and looking for the beauty, seeking out the beauty in the world around us. I felt like I could feel God whispering into my heart, “look at my Creation and appreciate it.” And I did and I do, I just sometimes forget to slow down and look.

God could have made leaves just turn brown and die and fall off, but instead, fall provides us with such a beautiful array of color. I think appreciating that creativity is an act of worship. I think remembering to thank God for the beauty is an act of worship. I think slowing down is an act of worship.

This season of fall passes quickly. In another month, the leaves will all be gone. The branches will be bare. It will be cold and the days will be long and dark. It won’t be long until we are all shivering and anxiously awaiting spring.

But, for now, maybe we could take a moment and really drink in the beauty of fall, the beauty that God has created in our lives, in this season, at this very moment and give thanks. While we are giving thanks for the beauty in nature, maybe we could look around and give thanks for all of the beauty in our lives at this very moment. I think maybe, that’s worship in it’s purest form.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂