In my mind’s eye, there’s a room full of beautifully wrapped boxes.Inside each box is one reason I believe in miracles. This week, the week before Christmas Day, I’m unwrapping one box at a time.The reasons included already have been: presence, innocence, strangers, and writing.

We need the tonic of wildness

Henry David Thoreau

There is an undeniable miracle hidden in plain sight along every mile on earth, and in every galaxy in the universe. The video above was taken at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville; it is one of my favorite spots. On that day, the girls were in a Summer camp elsewhere on the grounds, and I parked myself beneath a tree near the small waterfall. As I sat there, writing, I could hear a bird chirping, the water falling, a frog randomly croaking… and there were these ants nearby. And then there are the mountains. 

We traveled to Switzerland, Poland and a whole bunch of other countries this year. Switzerland (and Greece) stole pieces of my heart. There is something that happens to me when I am in the mountains: it’s a calming refuge. There’s a phrase — mountain time — that rings true: time slows down, pressures fade, and all that I’m left with is peace. 

Thoreau talked about the wildness of nature, about an innate desire to explore the undefinable. It is impossible to be surrounded by nature and be unimpressed by sunsets, the massiveness of the ocean or the simplicity of babbling water. It takes more faith to believe that something as perfect as a Santorini sunset or as wild as Ireland’s Cliff of Moher or as complex as a single galaxy happened, essentially, by accident than it does to believe that miracles are real. The transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly in and of itself is miraculous; the idea that that butterfly might also be painted, with unique colors and designs, by chance is unfathomable. 

I distinctly remember being in my car, staring out the window, and noticing that the leaves were green. Vibrantly green. Willow trees hold a compound similar to aspirin; herbal remedies for all kinds of ailments are plentiful. Food comes from nature: it is meant to sustain us. Nature encourages me to believe in miracles because it delights every sense; nature encourages me to believe in miracles because it feeds every dream from adventure to seclusion; nature encourage me to believe in miracles because of how it’s rich complexity creates a simple picture; nature encourages me to believe in miracles because morning follows night; nature encourages me to believe in miracles because it’s both a place to find restoration and exploration. From volcanoes to unground caves to hundreds of thousands of varieties of flowers (250,000-400,000 species of flowers alone) to snow-capped mountain peaks and the deepest parts of the ocean, there are mysteries, stories, and miracles surrounding us every single day. All we have to do is see it. 

Scripture says: 

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”

Romans 1:19-20

Nature is miraculous to me because, probably in more ways than I can count, it reveals a piece of God’s character. It’s the ultimate gift waiting to be unwrapped, savored like warm chocolate, embraced as a long-lost friend, and richly appreciated.