Our backyard garden in early May with young lettuce plants and rows of new onion plants. We can find a place of peace in a garden.
Too often, I find myself running, running and running. How about you? Do you find yourself running a lot? Life does seem to do that. It keeps us running with no place of peace to stop. It seems life likes to leave us with no place to find rest.
We all need that place to find peace, but too often, it’s all too hard to uncover. I know that’s the way it is for me. I do find rest in photography, but sometimes I can’t find the time to practice this art that I love.
A Place of Peace Close to Home
Fortunately, I found a place that’s easier to find. A place that is close to home, especially during this time of year. I found a place of peace in my garden.
In the Bible we see a biblical precedent for finding peace in a garden. Genesis tells us we were originally created to live in a garden, and Jesus found peace and strength in the Garden of Gethsemane. Scholars tell us that He probably frequented Gethsemane whenever He visited Jerusalem. I like to think that Jesus found gardens to be a place of peace.
A pepper blossom on a young pepper plant.
I find myself visiting our garden almost every day. I stopped in just to look around. I don’t stay long, except when there are some things to get done. And even though the plants don’t change much from day to day, hanging out in the garden for just for 5 to 10 minutes and looking around makes my heart feel good. In a garden there is life, life that gives peace.
Finding Your Place of Peace
A great way to enhance the feeling of peace that a garden can bring, is by exploring it with your camera. When we do, we discover that there are plenty of pictures to take, even in the smallest of backyard gardens.
Immerse yourself in a garden, and look for the tiny things, the new things, the bright things and the unexpected things. When you open your eyes to look, you will see that there is so much to appreciate and photograph. And you will notice that there’s life in a garden.
Let that life give you peace as you take it all in. Let it fill you with contentment and rest. Notice its beauty, both subtle and bold. Notice how each plant, from little seedlings to mature plants, has something special about it. Think about how you can capture it with your camera in a way that will make for a wonderful photograph that shows the goodness of God.
Exploring A Place of Your Own
A young head of lettuce spreading from the ground.
If you have a garden, explore it with your camera this spring, summer, fall, and perhaps even in the winter. It doesn’t matter if it’s a flower garden or vegetable garden. Both make for great photos, and both make for places where you can stop running and find peace.
In a garden you’ll find peace with or without a camera.
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