I just got back from another nature hike. I wonder if I'll ever get sick of them.

Walking through the woods is an exercise in viewing pre-planned chaos - and yet, there is such beauty. The randomness of fallen trees, rotting wood, collections of matted leaves and pools of muddied water seems sure. Yet, the way it all works together forms the wonder, and for me the comfort, of the woods.

It makes me wonder if that's the way God works in my own life as well. So many things seem random - so many things small and meaningless. I wonder if like the woods, my life contains so many pre-planned variables that follow the same pattern of death giving way to life. It gives me hope that even such things as long, cold winters and spells of non-creativity can somehow fit into a larger picture.

And it is a process. Those woods were formed over hundreds of years. Things take time to die and rot enough to feed the earth. New things take time to grow and become established. It may not look productive or organized, but ultimately it seems a Divine Process certianly is somehow involved.

I'll go back again, I'm sure. In a couple weeks the woods will be changed again. New things will be sprouting, more wildlife awake and moving and things beginning to show color. It will be good to see color.