When you sit in nature, what do you think about or feel?

Think about the sounds people use to fall asleep at night; sounds of water, rain, birds chirping, or other sounds of nature, right? What does the beauty of nature do to your soul when you look at all the flowers, beaches, mountains, or jungles? You might ask, what does this have to do with hospitality? Then my next question is: what do you think when you hear the word hospitality?

I am writing this for a friend because when I was visiting her the other day I remembered something I learned in the Philippines, and she said I should write about it. I was sitting outside with her on the lawn, soaking up the sun. It was a gorgeous spring afternoon—sunny and blue. The birds were singing contentedly, and all the pink and white dogwoods were in full bloom all around her neighborhood. We closed our eyes, resting in God’s creation. Then I remembered.

In the Philippines I was talking to a girl. She was doing her DTS (Discipleship Training School). She was doing a project for her school—sort of like a scrapbook of what she was learning. She described the page she was working on, saying she was doing a page on how God is hospitable. I looked at her questioningly, trying to understand where she was going with this. Then she described that God could have just created Adam and Eve and placed them in His world that was unfinished and created the world around them. But He didn’t. First, He created all of the plants and trees and animals and things for them to eat, then placed them in a garden.

You see, what she was describing was something I had never quite thought of before, but it made sense immediately. It was quite amazing to think about. God made such a beautiful world that sings of His glory. Even now, in its imperfect state, it is quite a beautiful sight to behold. His creation gives you a sense of peace, contentment, joy, and rest if you just sit and soak it in. Not only that, being in the sun gives you vitamins that have healing effects on your body. The ground produces food for you to eat. Eating produce that comes from the ground nourishes your body. Nature itself creates things that heal your wounds. Working in the soil is also healing in a way and strengthens you. God created a world that literally cares for its occupants, whether humans or animals. With this in mind, read Genesis 1 again.

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Do you see anything different now than when you read it before? Hospitality is a cool characteristic of God, is it not? And for us, made in His image, what does this say about how our hospitality should look? Maybe our hospitality should also create a space that is beautiful—where someone can feel contentment, peace, joy, and rest.

If you are feeling down, exhausted, or emotionally drained, maybe take a moment and step outside your door into nature: sit in the sun, lie in the grass, or pick flowers. If you are not an outdoors person because of dirt or bugs, bring nature inside. Bring some flowers in. Fill your home with plants. Turn on some bird sounds or rain sounds, and of course always take time to spend with the Lord. As someone just told me, you can’t be filled without being hooked to the source of what’s filling you.

Let us know how this goes. Tell us your story of how you embraced God’s creation and let it heal you like God created it to do. Or, if you are creating a hospitable place for someone you know, tell us how you did it differently this time or how you already do it. Have a good week.