Why time outdoors makes you rich in spirit

[guestpost]Looking for The J. B. Sisam Show? I’ll return next week with a new episode. In the meantime, enjoy this blog post.[/guestpost]

If you’re anything like me, you’ll spend most of your days indoors. We sit at our desks. We stare at our computers and drink our coffee. Hardly, do we take time to rejuvenate outdoors.

[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]From one of my fishing trips to Detroit Lakes, MN. There is a 17.5′ Largemouth Bass in the image.[/featured-image]

For the most part, every year, my buddy and I go on a several day fishing trip in northern Minnesota. We don’t stay in lavish hotels or resorts. We don’t rent a cabin. We pitch our tents, set-up camp and eat food out of cans. It is the life. I shut my phone off and don’t allow distractions of daily life. I come to Park Rapids, MN to fish–nothing else.

Think about the last time you spent outdoors. What did you enjoy about it? Was it the fresh air, the trees or simply the fact you’ve gotten away from it all?

Michael Hyatt said this in a blog post last year; “How often do you take advantage of the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits of nature?”

When we take the time to shut down the blue light emitting from our devices and bathe in the sunlight–for some much needed vitamin D–we find strength returning. God didn’t create us to sit and die. He created the world for us to enjoy, and sitting behind a desk does the opposite of what he intended for us. To live!

Nature revitalizes our mind.

When we take the time to let our mind stop thinking and begin to meditate on God’s creation, will bring huge benefits to us. We’re so busy that time away seems impossible. But, not taking the time is worse. Our energy is depleted. Our energy is gone. We rely on caffeine just to get through the day.

I’m not saying we need to do what I do and get away for an extended period of time. But simply a few minutes out in the sun each day will give you energy. However if you really want to rejuvenate, time away in the great outdoors is what’s needed.

When my buddy and I are away fishing, I feel energized and refreshed by the time I return home to my family. Nature takes my mind off the here and now. It allows me to be more creative when I return. It improves my mood. In-fact, the longer I’m away–on the lake–my creativity takes off like a jet on a runway.

Nature allows our spirit-man to connect with God.

When God created Adam, he created him out of the dust of the ground. We were created in the great-outdoors. The most important aspect of our lives is to connect with the Creator. God walked with Adam in the cool of the day. They walked through the Garden of Eden. I can only imagine the conversations they had.

In our day-to-day life, we don’t take the time to spend it with God. He becomes an after thought. And when we put him in the fore-front of our mind, it’s on Sunday mornings at church. God desires to connect with us on a deep and personal level.

Communication begins with praise and worship. Psalm [93:11]-13; “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.”
We can connect with God without daily distractions.
We’re given permission to be real with God.
Nature allows us time to hear from God without the noise of daily life.

We are called to be, not do. I once heard that we are called human beings not human doings. God wants our whole being. He doesn’t want a piece of us. It’s time to forget about what we think matters in life and begin taking the time to know God on a personal level.

Nature gives us permission to STOP thinking!

In our go, go, go, society we don’t take the time to stop and think. I remember one of these first fishing trips we took. Even though I was with my friend, it’s amazing how quiet everything is. Sitting in a boat at 2 am in the middle of the lake, looking at the stars glistening off the water, you learn what the majesty of God really is. I needed the time to stop thinking and begin listening to the Holy Spirit.

When our minds are busy thinking, we stop hearing the voice of God.

Job [4:24]; “Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong.”

We make mistakes when we don’t take the time to breathe. God is calling us to be lead by still waters. Jesus wants to restore our soul. It doesn’t matter what you’re going through right now, God wants to be the one who leads you to greater things. But, we have to allow our minds to be clear. We have to allow ourselves to stop thinking and trust God.

Isaiah [30:15]; “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…”

We will find our strength when we learn to quiet ourselves. Rest gives us the chance to take life by the horns again. So, if you want to take your life to the next level–find rest in God’s great outdoors. It is only in those quiet moments that God seems the loudest.