Meadow (noun): piece of grassland; a low ground near a river; an open field of lush grass filled with wildflowers, butterflies and birds
What image comes to mind when you hear the word “Meadow”?
For me, the image varies depending on my state of mind or mood. But the two most common…
- Julie Andrews twirling about on a grassy knoll among the mountaintops as she sings with joy “The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music”
- The girls from the intro to the TV show “Little House on the Prairie”, as they run through the tall grass to meet their parents waiting in the wagon
But the meadow that is real to me, rather than an image from a movie or TV show, is the patch of natural field on our lakeshore property (shown in image above).
A piece of God’s artwork with the changing colors of flowers and the flutter of butterflies. Small depressions of flattened grass where deer take refuge and rest. Milkweed giving sustenance to monarch caterpillars. Birds balancing so delicately on tall reeds. The ashes of a beloved pet who once loved to roam the meadow.
The meadow is full of LIFE. Of CREATION. I do really hear it sing His praises!
What feeling comes to your heart when you hear the word meadow? For most, if not all, it is a feeling of serenity, relaxation, calmness, or tranquility. Maybe a song comes to mind as well – perhaps “In the Garden” ?
The “garden” God first created for His children must have been filled with meadows. Places for His creatures to commune, where He would come and be with them. Where they would soak in pleasure from each other’s company. A place filled with His Peace.
God created meadows as a gift to His people and the creatures of the Earth.
A meadow is a physical manifestation of the spiritual tranquility and serenity a life with God offers.
A place of provision, safety, and calmness. Buzzing with life and energy and growth.
A meadow is a place of worship for all creation, for all the natural world. Several of the Psalms explain:
The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing. Psalm 65:12-13
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.Let all creation rejoice before the Lord. Psalm 96:12-13
This sounds like a place of worship to me! Creation gathered together to sing praises to the Creator. As Louis Armstrong would say: “What a Wonderful World”
The meadow is a place to feel connected to nature, to creation…and ultimately, to our Creator. Indeed, I see meadows as God’s personal invitation to come to Him:
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. Psalm 23:2
Meadows are His summons to be still and know He is God.
The busyness of life, the desires of the flesh, the quest for success, all drown out His invitation to the meadow, the place to find the true refreshment I seek. I shall not pass up His invitations, nor become immune to His Call!
“God spoke today in flowers, and I, who was waiting on words, almost missed the conversation.” ~ Ingrid Goff-Maidoff~
At the cabin, I defend the meadow of natural field from the interest others may have to mow it down. NO! This is sacred, holy ground! His Sanctuary. Perfect beauty without human intervention. How can we even consider improving upon it by mowing it?
Perhaps the same danger exists for the “figurative” meadow of our souls? We all have the still, quiet place in us where God waits to meet us and restore us. And we drown out the meadow with noise, distractions, idols, worry, negativity, social pressures, addictions, and our thirst for achievement. We must care for and protect the meadows within just was we must do so for the meadows of the Earth!
Seeing or being in a meadow refreshes my hope of Heaven.
Heaven is referred to as a place with “streets of gold.” I prefer to think of it as a place with “meadows of wildflowers.” A place where I will twirl around in joyous abandon (like Julie Andrews), where I will picnic with my loved ones gone before me, where I will cozy up with lions and lambs.
A place where the chirp of birds, buzz of bees, rustle of leaves, laughter of children, swaying of tall grasses, all combine to create a glorious harmony, singing and proclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty”.
And there in the center of the meadow will be Christ – the Source of Light, the Spring of Living Water – who sustains the meadow and all within it.
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Writing this post inspired this poem “Meadow’s Gift“.