The Quiet of Wood and Field

"In the early ages, with the people who were under God's direction, life was simple.  They lived close to the heart of nature.  Their children shared in the labor of the parents and studied the beauties and mysteries of nature's treasure house.  And in the quiet of field and wood they pondered those mighty truths handed down as a sacred trust from generation to generation."  

  

This quote creates a beautiful word picture in my mind.  After reading it, I started thinking about the children of the Bible who had a strong relationship with nature.  The first  child to come to  my mind was baby Moses.  Even as an infant, he was placed for days in a reed basket and placed in the Nile River while his older sister kept watch.  He was rocked by the gentle action of the waves and among the fragrance of plants and the sounds of waterfowl.  David  also spent much time learning lessons from nature.  He was a skilled shepherd, even at a young age.  He wrote beautiful songs and poetry, and by studying them we can observe that he had a close relationship with the natural world.  He took lessons from everything around him.  The boy Jesus also spent much time in nature.  He was homeschooled at his mother's knee, by work with his father, and by observations  of nature in wood and field.  He learned about God's care and of life's lessons by observing God's creation.

What other children of the Bible can you think of spent quality time outdoors?  How did their experience influence them in adulthood?  Please share!

Source quote:  Education 221
Photo:  Baby robins in our flowering crab apple tree