2 minute read
The beauty of creation is clear without the noise of modern interruptions
from The Contact 6-12-24
by okumc
BY KATHRYN WITZEL
This spring has been busy with storms in Oklahoma. Some of the storms have been predicted days ahead of time and others show up suddenly.
One Sunday evening, I found myself at Canyon Camp for a training session and with limited wi-fi and no meteorologist breaking in to give updates and warnings, we had to depend on the skies for our predictions.
Gazing into the clouds from the porch of Miller Hall, we recognized that the clouds were taking on a unique appearance. The clouds began to look like cotton balls - a type of cumulonimbus rain cloud called a mammatus cloud.
Add in the lightning and thunder, and we knew that storms were near. However, the anxiety that normally accompanies a storm was not present.
Our knowledge of Oklahoma weather patterns told us that the worst of the weather was north and east of us - so we settled into our rocking chairs under a covering and watched the light show.
Afterward, I reflected on being at camp and away from the constant barrage of information. The weather circumstances did not change, but the way we reacted did. We were able to be in the moment and experience nature without someone else filling us with anxiety. When a camper attends one of the three Oklahoma United Methodist Church camp locations, they can power down from the technology and pressures of their daily lives and live in the moment.
What a lesson to learn about silencing the noise around us and focusing on what God may be trying to communicate.
