Tim Morrow

During our “free time” this spring, our family took it upon itself to go explore different places around Powell. Some of these places I had not been to in a long time. I’m talking about taking hikes or walks in some of the forgotten outdoor spaces in and around the northern Big Horn Basin. We explored the Bighorn Canyon area to the Clarks Fork Canyon and all in between.

I suppose I am like most locals around here: We cannot wait for summer to get out in “God’s creation.”  What we mean are the mountains. There is no denying the mountains attest to the wonder of God’s handiwork, but what I realized this spring was that often we miss the obviousness of his beauty all around us in our everyday surroundings. On our weekly adventures to places close by, I began to notice beauty that I take for granted every day.

I know for myself, these hikes were therapeutic, in that they removed me for a moment from the craziness of what was transpiring in our world. By “remove,” what I mean is they allowed my mind to not be consumed with all the world’s problems, issues and dilemmas.

These times in nature reminded me that there is a God who is in control of every little detail of creation, every rock, bird, plant and cloud. I noticed a bluebird on the hike in the Clarks Fork Canyon. The bird would fly from plant to plant in front of us; its color striking and vivid in the sunlight. The bird had no worry about what was being reported in the news, who was president or what the UN thought about anything. 

I remember that day being reminded of Matthew 6:26, where Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” 

God’s word reminds us that those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ are kept in him. God’s children are valuable to him. Be hopeful today! Be hopeful in the fact that through the chaos of this life there is a God who cares for his own and is sovereign over everything.

Take a walk outside and notice the beauty of God’s creation. Look up at the mountains. Gaze up at nighttime stars. Notice the wonder of the wildlife around us. Take a moment and notice the intricacies of a flower and remind yourself that God created all that. 

And then remember: If God created all these things, and cares for all these things, how much more does he care for us. In the end, God will make all things right.

(Tim Morrow is the pastor of New Life Church in Powell.)