Thanks for joining me for this Sunday edition of the Our Daily Bread Devotional.

My name is Sheridan Voizzi, and I've titled today's reading, Noticing Nature.

A friend and I recently visited a favorite walking spot of mine.

Climbing a wind-swept hill, we crossed a field

of wildflowers into a forest of towering pines, then descended into a valley where we paused a

moment. Clouds floated softly above us. A stream trickled nearby. The only sounds were

birdsongs. Jason and I stood there silently for 15 minutes, taking it all in.

As it turns out, our actions that day were deeply therapeutic.

According to research from the University of Derby, people who stopped to contemplate nature

experience higher levels of happiness, lower levels of anxiety, and a

greater desire to care for the earth. Walking through the forest isn't enough, though. You have to

watch the clouds, listen to the birds. The key isn't being in nature, but noticing it.

Could there be a spiritual reason for nature's benefits? Paul said in Romans 1 that

creation reveals God's power and nature. God told Job to look at the sea, sky and stars for

evidence of his presence. Jesus said in Matthew 6 that contemplating the birds of the air and

flowers of the field could reveal God's care and reduce anxiety.

In scripture, noticing nature is a spiritual practice.

Scientists wonder why nature affects us so positively.

Maybe one reason is that by noticing nature, we catch a glimpse of the God who created it

and who notices us.

Today's scripture reading is from Matthew chapter 6, verses 25 to 34.

Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.

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