For the Beauty of the Earth

The other day I was walking through the streets of the Bronx, after the sun had gone down and in a snowstorm. It was cold, it was dark, it was slippery and we were speedily walking towards our next
appointment. Suddenly a man who was nice enough to accompany us to our appointments that night stopped and asked if we could take a picture of him with the snow. Perplexed, we did so, and then I decided that I would like one as well. Stopping to take the pictures so suddenly even though we were in a little bit of a rush made me take a moment to reflect on the snow and how beautiful it was, so pure and white and all-encompassing. Sometimes we get so caught up in noticing all of the bad aspects of a situation that we never notice the good; when we look at snow we can choose to see cold, wet and miserable, or beautiful, glorious and purifying. We don't realize that the beauty of God's creation and things being affected by his grand design and plan are happening all around us, every day. It's at times like these when I am reminded of a hymn:

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!


I love the words to this song. Every single thing that exists in this world is a testament to God and his might and majesty. In the Book of Mormon, in a book called Alma it says:

"The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there
is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face
of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move
in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
(Alma 30:44)



I have felt this thrill as I look at various things that God has created many times in my life. I have felt it on high mountains looking down on the valley; I have felt it on the beach as I see the countless sand and the vast expanse of ocean laid before me, with its majestic waves and multitude of different aquatic life; I have felt it in the midst of gardens and trees, teeming with life and giving testimony of a divine creator; I have seen it in countless magnificent sunrises and sunsets, giving life and light to all they touch. Susan L. Warner, a former counselor in the Primary General Presidency expressed her feelings on the subject in the October 1998 General Conference. She said:

Because our Heavenly Father wants us to know Him and to feel His love, He planned a world filled with magnificent creations that bear record of Him and His Son, Jesus
Christ. Have you ever counted all the things that bear record of the
Savior? There are sunsets and seashells, lilacs and lakes, insects and animals, miraculous mornings and star-strewn skies...

Wherever we live in this world, we see the glorious rising sun, which
bears record of the Light of Christ that fills our hearts and
enlightens our minds. The mighty rivers and the meandering streams bear record that the Savior is the source of the living water that can quench our thirst for spiritual things. The lilies of the field and even the smallest sparrow bear record of His generous and personal
care. (Bear Record of Him)"

How profound. Until I began starting to recognize all the testimonies that we can see of God every day, I had never considered this. Every single thing we see every day is a testimony of a divine creator! There is a game that I enjoy playing from time to time, in which you choose random objects with no apparent connection to God and make a gospel analogy. You'd be surprised how easy it is. Go ahead and try it, and you will begin to see God's hand in everything around you. From the largest forest to the smallest bush, the Lord God created it all. God himself in the scriptures said:

“All things are created and made to bear
record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are

spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me”
(Moses 6:63)

How can we look at the beauty of creation, the perfectness and precision of the planet that we live on, and have our thoughts not turn towards our Lord and God in gratitude and wonder? How can we not look for every opportunity to stop and appreciate this beautiful world which God has given us to live in? Any closer or any farther away from the sun and this planet would be completely uninhabitable, but because everything worked out perfectly we have a planet that can sustain life.That we may try harder to recognize the hand of God in every aspect of everything we see is my humble prayer to you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.