Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Lloyd Newell each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This will be given April 10, 2022.
Sometimes we see things so often that we don’t really look at them anymore. When was the last time you stopped to watch a beautiful sunset, gaze at a canopy of clouds or look up in wonder at a cluster of stars? We are surrounded by the natural world, but we can only understand our place in it — our connection with all of creation — when we take the time to reflect on the beauty around us.
The more we do, the closer we feel to the divine. As the Psalmist exclaimed, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psalm 19:1). Truly, God has placed evidence of His love all around us.
But too often, we go about our busy life without even noticing the soft song of a bird, the delicious smells after rainfall or the stunning willpower of wildflowers along the road. The earth is full of sights, sounds and smells to appreciate.
Ralph Waldo Emerson had an eye for nature’s wonders — and a gift for describing them. He wrote: “If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile” (see “Ralph Waldo Emerson: Selected Essays, Lectures and Poems,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson).
Each night, each day, each moment has its own offering of beauty. No matter how many times we’ve seen the stars light up the night sky, the sun settle into the horizon, the snow blanket our world or a thunderstorm awaken a parched field, we can be inspired. The world is like a living work of art, always changing, always offering something new and beautiful. One day or night is never just like the next. So never take any of it for granted. Stop and see it, as if for the first time, and be awe-inspired. Never tire of a sunrise or sunset, a starry night or a cloudy sky. Use all your senses to experience it. Watch the wonders of this beautiful world, and you will see the hand of God.
Tuning in …
The “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirectTV, SiriusXM Radio (Ch. 143), the tabernaclechoir.org, youtube.com/TheTabernacleChoir and Amazon Alexa (must enable skill). The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on many of these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedules.
