I was never one to find joy from nature.
Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the occasional hike with my friends or driving down the scenic route with my family whenever we go on road trips but that is pretty much it. I never really took the time to stop, reflect, and take in all of nature’s beauty that is around me until I went on this trip to the Philippines.
After attending ICON and the Global Leader’s Summit in Makhati (downtown, Manila), my family and I were able to go to Lobo, Batangas for a mini-vacation. Even though I was born in the Philippines and have visited several times before, I never had the chance to visit this part of the island yet. Which is why I was super excited to go; everything was going to be new to me.
While we were there, we were able to do many amazing things but the one thing that stood out to me the most was actually the scenery around me.
Every day that I was there, I could not help but feel so joyful. I was in awe of how beautiful everything was – the bright green leaves on the palm trees, the large mountains in the distance on the beach and the amazing sunsets that I saw every night that filled the sky with beautiful hues of purple and red.
As I was looking at all of this, I started to reflect on how creative God is. I mean look at the nature around you! Every colour, every creature, every design that we see in the world around us was thoughtfully discerned for and created by God. How crazy is that?
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. – Psalm 19:1
Living in Canada I am not able to see a view like the one in Batangas every day which is why I wanted to take everything that I saw in. I kept saying to my family and friends, “wow, God is so good! I can’t believe I get to see this.”
The perfect scenery that surrounded me made me appreciate even more how amazing God is. God could have created the world in anyway He wanted. He could’ve rushed the process but instead He took His time, making sure, that everything He made was perfect and would reflect His image and likeness. God took his time cultivating the beautiful masterpiece that we call Earth.
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. – Genesis 1:31
I am beyond amazed at what I was able to witness and see while staying in Batangas and I am more grateful for the view that came along with it.
Thank You Lord for the blessing of being able to see the world in a whole new light. May I learn to be more considerate and respectful to the land you created. May I protect what you made and continue to admire Earth for the way it is.
Amen.
Danielle Lape