- Three weeks ago I stood on the south rim of the Grand Canyon surrounded by people from around the world who had come to see this most magnificent of Gods creations.Lost in contemplation, I was awakened from my reverie by the woman next to me. Also gazing out over the vast canyon, and with a decidedly southern accent, she addressed her friend, "How can anyone say there's not a God?"Her words were a simple and profound reiteration of truths that have been felt and spoken by many individuals over the centuries. Aristotle, speaking about the beauty to be found in all things created by God, and party to the beautiful world in which he lived, was quoted as saying, "Beauty is the gift of God."The great Book of Mormon prophet Alma testified, "All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator" (Alma 30:44).The Romantic poet William Wordsworth tenderly mused on this same theme. Between 1802 and 1804, while living in Grasmere in Englands beautiful Lake District, he wandered the hills and dales of that magnificent landscape and wrote his well-known "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood." The poem begins by espousing his belief that children, having so recently come from God, retain faint memories of life with him before coming to earth. As a child, Wordsworths refined intuition reminded him that ...meadow, grove, and stream,The earth, and every common sight,To me did seemAppareled in celestial light.Over the next nine stanzas he explores how, over time and distracted by earthly cares, memories fade and can be forgotten. However, those willing to hearken back to their youthful intuitions and who develop a mature "philosophic mind" will see manifestations of God's hand everywhere in nature. He concludes by expressing his belief that the individual can develop a deeper sensitivity to God in nature:And O, ye Fountains, Meadows, Hills, and Groves,Forebode not any severing of our loves!Yet in my heart of hearts I feel your might;I only have relinquished one delightTo live beneath your more habitual sway.I love the Brooks which down their channels fret,Even more than when I tripped lightly as they;The innocent brightness of a new-born DayIs lovely yet;The clouds that gather round the setting sunDo take a sober colouring from an eyeThat hath kept watch o'er man's mortality;Another race hath been, and other palms are won.Thanks to the human heart by which we live,Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,To me the meanest flower that blows can giveThoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.I have always loved the beach at sunset and hiking deep into the forests with their wild and stark beauty, though I have made less time to do so in recent years. Monday we drove up Provo Canyon to see the bounteous colors as the leaves change and fall turns to winter. Of late I find myself drawn more and more to the beauty and magnificence of the natural world around me. I recently reflected on why this is so:The splendor of nature reminds me how insignificant I am in this vast world. It is too easy to get a sense of self-importance and forget our own nothingness in comparison to God. Magnificent vistas teach me of my total dependence on God.
- Ocean as far as the eye can see, canyons and forests remind me of the magnificence of God, of his omniscience and omnipotence as manifest in his ability to craft this beautiful planet.
- When I explore extended vistas, when I notice how many varieties of green there are on the smallest plat on a simple hillside, or when I bend over to gaze at one tender blazing orange bud in an otherwise barren landscape, I am reminded how much God loves me. He made this world for my edification and uplift. Is there any better visual description of a perfectly loving Father?
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When the opportunity presents, take advantage of it and leave the concrete of the city and the dissonance of technology and walk, or ride or drive into nature. It is the perfect place to ponder and meditate and think about God. Wasn't it into the mountains that man so often went to commune with God, and frequently the location of his holy temples? That setting can lead you to contemplate the deeper meaning of pre-Earth, current and post-Earth life.Winter will soon be upon us in Utah. Tomorrow promises to be a beautiful day. My son and I are planning a five-mile hike in the canyon.