Last evening my daughter, Rishana, and Paige, my son Andrew’s wife, joined me at a painting class at a local lavender farm. It was something we’d never done before and we had such a great time!
The setting was just beautiful, with rows of lavender stretching out toward rolling hills of green, and the Blue Mountains of Oregon in the distance. Cows wandered on the hillside, birds were singing in the trees, and the sun was shining. It was the perfect setting to try my hand at acrylic landscape painting for the first time.
I’ve done a lot of drawing with pencil in the past and I’m fairly good at that, but I’ve only tried to paint a couple times, so this was a new experience for me. And I’ve never tried to paint outdoors before, which was a challenge. The paint dried quicker than I wanted it to, the wind was blowing, and, when the sun started to set, it got chilly. My teeth were chattering and my brush was shaking by the time I put the final touches on my “masterpiece.”
In spite of all this, I had a great time. Just being with Rishana and Paige and spending time in the beauty of God’s creation was worth the cost of the class.
Spending time out in nature is never wasted time. Those couple hours on that beautiful farm gave me a few moments of much needed peace and time away from a sometimes hectic schedule.
Psalm 19:1 and 2 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.”
Today, if you can, take a few moments to spend a little time outside in nature. Take a paint brush and paint with you, if you want, or just spend the time listening to God speak. Feel HIs peace which passes all understanding seep into your soul and just enjoy a little time away with your Best Friend. Time with Jesus, especially outdoors, is the best part of any day!
God bless and have an amazing day!