Peace in Nature

 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
  those who gain understanding ...

Her ways are pleasant ways,
  and all her paths are peace. (Proverbs 3:13, 17)

What is it about a path in the woods?

It beckons to adventure and discovery, all while instilling a sense of peace and comfort.

There is a path.
That means someone has gone before.
Someone has laid everything out.
There is peace in knowing this.
There is comfort in knowing that, if I stay on the path, I won't become lost.

And yet, the path also leads to discovery.
Maybe even adventure.

Maybe even danger.

And, of course, it's going to be work.
Of course it's going to take time.
And it might even change who I am, just a little.

Whether the path is gentle from start to finish,
whether it quickly leads uphill,
whether sharp rocks, a stream crossing, or a fallen tree lie ahead,
or bears, or snakes, or hornets ...

I still will see things I've never seen before.
I'll probably learn things I didn't know before.
I'll become stronger on those uphills and downhills.
And yes, I might possibly get scared out of my mind.

And if things go wrong ...
I just might have good story to tell later on.
(Unless I die, I suppose.)

I could have used any one of hundreds of photos to illustrate "peace in nature" today ...
But I chose this one: a beckoning trail.

Throughout Proverbs, wisdom is often compared to a path, a beckoning trail. Not a trail the promises safety. Not a trail that promises adventure. But a trail that promises a clear route so that, no matter what we encounter, we won't get lost.

And there is peace in that:
Peace in wisdom.
Peace in nature.
Peace in the path ahead.

On the Pinhoti Trail in northeast Alabama, November 2018.