Here I sit on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon reading and writing about poetry. Now depending on who you are, that's really good or that's really bad. I happen to enjoy well-written poetry. With an economy of words it captures beauty better than possibly any other written medium.

I've spent about the last hour typing away about poetry, nature, and the response they create when put together. By looking at two poems ("I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by Wordsworth and "God's Grandeur" by Hopkins for those who are interested), I decided that the poets were aiming for a response of appreciation and responsibility.

I finished the writing with a greater appreciation for poetry and then realized the wonders of nature that I was currently experiencing. I could feel the cool breeze blowing in through my window; I could observe the cloudless sky from my window; I could walk around my dorm and take in the sights of the Santa Clarita Valley. And I decided that just like the poetry I had read about, nature should indeed inspire appreciation and responsibility.

Let's face it: God's creation is AWESOME! Whether it is displayed in the serenity of a sunny Sunday afternoon or the the lights and loudness of a thunderstorm, "God's Grandeur" is not hard to observe. We should appreciate it. And we should do more than merely say, "It's a beautiful day," but we should be praising God because we know that he made it.

God's creation should also give a sense of responsibility. We should always remember that God is the one who created what we see, and that should remind us that he is the Lord of the World, and we are accountable to him.

So as we go through life and take in the sights and sounds of nature, may we always be mindful that "The heavens declare the glory of God." May we enjoy nature as we enjoy the One who gave it to us.