The Beauty of an "Awe Walk" by Sandi Somers

I awakened early and felt an urge to go for a pre-dawn walk that morning of June 14, 1995, to one of my favourite Calgary nature areas—Weaselhead. It was a thickly-treed area that I so enjoyed hiking every so often. The sky was clouded over and there was a possibility of rain, so I wore my raincoat.

As I began my walk, I breathed in the fresh earthy fragrance and absorbed the idyllic atmosphere of trees whose leaves had recently burst into their green June fullness.

Raindrops began to fall. Softly they landed on tree leaves—music to my ears. I pulled my jacket hood over my head and heard the gentle drops.

Just then a least flycatcher with his characteristic "che-bek" began to sing beside my pathway. He was hidden among the tree leaves and I had to carefully search to spot this tiny brown bird, smaller than even a house wren (photo and song here).

Something about that beautiful moment inspired such great awe that I couldn't express my feelings. Eventually I discovered that the Psalms would give me words for what I could not say. I especially loved Psalm 104, savoring the eloquent word choices and imagery. The beauty and grandeur of God almost took my breath away.

O Lord my God, how great you are!

You are robed with honor and majesty.

You are dressed in a robe of light….

You make springs pour water into the ravines,

So streams gush down from the mountains.

They provide water for all the animals…

The birds nest beside the streams

And sing among the branches of the trees…

My walk that morning has been an example of what Professor Virginia Sterm called an "awe walk", or a beauty excursion, walking in nature with the intention of tapping into something that brings a sense of wonder.

(NOTE: A beauty excursion can also be to other places—an art gallery of majestic paintings, a museum, a bookstore where you find a gem, a Christmas craft sale where you discover beautiful wood carvings…)

The question is: How can we capture beauty in our writing through nature “awe walks” or other beauty excursions? Writing can deepen our experience as we take photos, journal, write a poem, compose a song, or add to an article. Here are several angles:

Engaging our senses sharpens our attention and “thickens” our writing, to use Carol Shields’ concept. Writing the scene as fully as possible makes a good story that captivates our readers’ attention and imagination.

Including metaphors and unique verbs improves the variety and quality of our sentences and makes our writing sing.

Marvelling on the wonder gives us an emotional boost. Psychologists say that wonder, joy, beauty, and awe bring down such things as anxiety, depression, stress, anger, and fatigue while increasing restorative effects such as vitality, vigor, and positive emotions. As we give ourselves a moment to feel joy and calm or excitement and amazement, we can attempt to write our emotional responses in these transcendent moments.

Giving time to write of our gratitude and worship our Creator God is a necessary component. As we delight in our Lord, the beauty of nature and of our relationship with Jesus flourishes in our lives and writing. Doing so enables us to discover a spiritual meaning, a universal truth that our readers can relate to. William Blake wrote an eloquent poem on discovering the universal truth when he wrote:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour.

The author Harold Best advised: “Remember that God makes things beautiful from the inside out…elegant …Join up with the mind of the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”[i]

As we write to engage beauty, our lives can have a great impact. I’m reminded of someone who said that the testimony of a survivor of Cambodia’s Killing Fields was “something beautiful for God.”

God is developing us into a beautiful work of art and faith. A faith that fuels trust and hope. Pay attention to how you experience God’s presence and tell how beautifully He is working in your life.

Sandi Somers’ writing passion is to help readers grow their faith in Jesus, including their vision of what God wants them to be and do. She writes of her love of nature, gardening, travel, and family in several genres—devotionals, personal essays, and Biblical fiction. Sandi lives in Calgary, Alberta, the delightful city between the Rocky Mountains and the Prairies.

[i] Michael Card, (Scribbling in the Sand, Downers Grove, IL, IVP, 2002), 123-124.

Top Image by Pixabay