Finding Restoration: Eliminate the noise for the sake of your soul.

Thanks to smartphones and the internet we are confronted on a daily basis with more information than any previous generation had to deal with. And it is not just information. It is opinion, hatred, divisiveness and suffering of the entire planet in minute detail and it is all served up on our daily feed. Add to this the pace that most of us require to live our daily lives. Honestly, I think most people are living their daily life along a spectrum from slightly rattled to completely fried as their normal state of being.

Most of the day we simply plow through a myriad of diverse tasks, checking boxes and getting stuff done. It stresses the very soul. So how do we get calmed down? One way is to take a pause. Just take a minute to be still and let everything go. It goes a long way to relieving the stress of the day. The difficult part is leaving it all behind—the meetings, what you know is coming next, what you are behind on, the snarky messages you received, the negative post you viewed, and the phone call that you just completed. So, I use a pause as my sword against all this madness. After I finish an intense phone call and before I start the next task, I take a pause. During that time, I think of a verse that says, “Be still and know that I am God.” By being still, it opens up some soul space and breathing room in the hectic world that we live in. Sometimes, I simply enjoy a minute of beauty. I spend time looking at the sunrise, the sunset, the changing leaves on the trees, how green everything is, special-looking clouds in the sky, or the sun reflecting off of the snow.

The problem with this is that we are often in a compartment when we do this—a car or a building. And so much of what we see is just a TV—more screen time. Studies show that the average person now spends 93% of their time indoors. God created an amazing, dazzling world around us. If we live to be one hundred, we will spend ninety-three years indoors. Does that make sense? We live nearly all of our life in a fake world with artificial light instead of the warmth of sunlight or the cool of moonlight or just the darkness of night. All of the surfaces we touch are things like plastic, metal, fake leather, or fake wood rather than trees, meadows, leaves, flowers, butterflies, fish, frogs and streams. We inhale air fresheners rather than fresh grass, blooming flowers, the air after a rain shower or salty air. In place of a hawk or a loon, the sound of crickets chirping, the thunder of a waterfall, our world is full of artificial sounds of gaming.

God gave us senses of smell, sight, taste, hearing and touch. It is through those senses that we learn almost everything. God put all those senses in an amazing body and then placed us in a world that is perfectly designed for that experience. Which is why a walk, a hike, or sitting and watching nature rescues our soul as we engage with nature. It calls things out of us like fear, anger and impatience. It gives us intuition, presence and kindness that no video game can ever replicate.

Spending our life in the artificial world is like spending our life wrapped in plastic wrap. Compare how you feel after binge-watching movies with how you feel after taking a walk in a nearby park or forest. Compare it to sitting next to a nearby stream or lake. Compare it to sitting by the ocean listening to the surf crashing in and feeling the cool breeze blowing into your face.

There is nothing better for a fried soul than to get into the woods or walk in the park. Just lie on your back in the grass and watch the clouds go by. Take off your shoes and socks and sit on a park bench with your feet in the grass.

I believe that most of us reach for relief when what we need is restoration. We eat junk food, play video games, surf the internet, watch YouTube videos, and drink coffee for relief. But what we really need is restoration. Nature heals and restores. David reported finding God in green meadows and beside still waters, and that it restored his soul. Do you remember that?

What I have found is that every day, my soul needs to engage with creation. Scripture says the whole earth is filled with His glory. Don’t miss it! Nature heals, teaches, strengthens and soothes us. If you work out in a gym, take it outside to run, walk, bike or hike. Walk outside your office building and feel the sun on your face. Breathe the fresh air or feel snowflakes hit your face—even for just a few minutes.