Mushrooms, Turkeys, and God!

I saw a couple of Toms strutting while I was leaving one of my favorite morel mushroom hunting spots.

When I'm mushroom hunting and without a gun, I often see turkey, and I also find lots of mushrooms! When I'm turkey hunting without my mushroom bags, I often see mushrooms (but no turkeys!). As I've gotten older, I spend more time mushroom hunting and less time turkey hunting but the one thing that I find whenever I'm out in the world is the amazing works of God's creation.

This year while in the woods looking for those elusive morels, I found a Blue Racer snake (fast!), several box turtles in the forest and a couple of red-eared turtles in a river (see pic), a school of 9 gar (quite large and prehistoric looking!), eagles, hawks, squirrels, turkeys, and morels.

I heard a tree crash, listened to the wind rustle trees and leaves while I sat on a log to rest, and the new growth of Mayapples, budding Elm and Maple trees, and the calls of numerous birds flitting about in the woods. Each of these encounters is an encounter with God!

Have you ever thought about it that way? Each encounter with the bounty of nature is like meeting God in the woods! God didn’t just create these wondrous plants and creatures, God is alive in all of nature just like God is alive in each of us.

Don’t feel God in your life? Maybe you aren’t looking or listening in the right way. Just like the Force in Star Wars (happy belated May 4th to you!), the Holy Spirit is alive and active in every living thing in the universe. Some are more attuned to the Holy Spirit and recognize God’s presence, some are oblivious, and others are getting nudges but haven’t quite figured out that God is knocking on their mental door (or touching their heart if you prefer that metaphor).

When I’m in the woods, I see more than nature. I see God. How about you?