Evening Stroll

The warm red and amber glow of the setting sun pours through the cracks in the clouds. A gentle, cold breeze glides across the grain fields cut even and clean by the harvest. Each step along the country road produces mixed emotions through both a satisfying and intrusive gravely crunch. There is joy in the sound like that of treading through fresh fallen leaves. At the same time the noise interrupts and dispels the serene stillness of the evening. What can one do, but embrace the joy and allow the rhythmic disturbance of every falling step to play in concert with the orchestration of God's creation.
This evening is not a very cold one, but cooler weather has set in. I am wearing my thickest coat--the blue one given to me by my father--and my knit cap, scarf, and gloves (all green). It's not that I could not endure the temperature of this particular evening. However, when one is walking against the wind for prolonged periods of time even a little cool air can become discomforting and even painful. Better safe than sorry.
I am out here to stretch my legs and get some fresh air, and, as I often do while strolling through God's great creation, to spend some time with the artist and author of this vast canvas and elaborate story. As I walk, admiring the creator's handiwork, I turn my thoughts to conversation. I have such a limiting perspective on the world around me and the world within me. This is where I go to seek out the greatest and entirely complete perspective. The endless prairies seem large enough a space to unpack the cares, concerns, and questions of my life. The limitless skies seem a sufficient container into which I can lift my praise and thanks. When all is said and done the Lord who walks beside me breathes in the air of my praise and tends to the fields of my concerns.
Sometimes I think that I am walking in search of answers. What I return with is something much greater--a reassurance that the Lord knows my heart, and that He will lead me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.