Finding God’s Care in His Creation
- Tom Hennigan MA, LPC
- Jun 25
- 8 min read
Beatrice trembled at the sight of the horses. She had no experience with them and her anxiety was skyrocketing. She knew her counselor was watching and she recalled her counselor's suggestion that interacting with horses may help her find relief from loneliness and distrusting people. To say she was skeptical would be an understatement. Waves of memories bombarded Beatrice. Ever since she broke out of that toxic community, she has never been the same. She trusted them. She believed in them. These were the people that would help her find life’s meaning and purpose. Instead they only brought her confusion and rejection. How did it come to this? She no longer knew who she was or what was true. Oh, she knew the meaning of her name, “bringer of joy and happiness”, but that did not help knowing who she really is! Joy and happiness were long gone only to be replaced by shame and loneliness.
As her mind battled these thoughts and feelings, she noticed a gentle giant approaching. The horse seemed to detect her pain as he slowly and gently advanced, pausing occasionally to see how Beatrice would respond. Beatrice peered into those gentle, chocolate brown eyes. She thought the horse seemed to understand the internal war being fought over her need for loving connection and fear of trusting another soul. Few ever took the time to see her, let alone know her, respect her, make her feel treasured. Yet the look in this horse’s eyes made her feel different, even seen. The care and the gentleness he expressed made her feel more at ease. This equine did not crowd, force, nor trespass her fragile boundaries. He just approached her as if she was someone needing companionship and understanding.
As Beatrice’s counselor looked on, she saw the beginnings of an amazing turn of events. As the horse gradually approached, Beatrice took a step toward the horse. And then a wondrous thing happened, Beatrice leaned her head against the horse’s neck and with tear filled eyes whispered something in his ear.
This story is a composite of many true experiences I have both observed and read about. They are filled with healing and relief against a backdrop of soul destroying evil. What is it about a sensitive horse that can be a bridge toward relational healing for one's soul? What about other aspects of creation such as mountain top gazing of a stunning landscape, or experiencing the sights, sounds, and earthy scents of an emerald forest, or admiring the beauty and perfume scents of a garden awash in color? Can these bring relief to a hurting soul too? Absolutely, and there is research to support it.
Did you know that as our society is trending toward urbanization, one study suggested that the average United States citizen spends 87% of their time indoors and 6% in their cars?[1] Put in perspective, some research suggests that we spend 339 days of the year indoors and maybe half a day per week outside? What might these statistics tell us about the health of our souls, especially those who have been terribly hurt?
The data suggest that spending time in our Father’s Creation correlates with anxiety relief, improved mood, neurological and cardiovascular benefits, and improved well-being. Improved well-being means people are feeling calmer, have an increased ability to concentrate, have an increased sense of self-worth, and experience reduced symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and mental fatigue.[2]
Spiritual abuse is devastating to the soul. It is a breeding ground for depression, anxiety, hopelessness, mental fatigue and so many other soul injuries. People can feel like damaged goods with no hope. A person's views of God, the spiritual community, and their religious belief systems can be distorted, twisted, and discarded. The emotional damage of shame, confusion, and loneliness can be debilitating. The physical damage can manifest in autoimmune complications, heart disease, and chronic pain. The relational toll can result in inability to trust church leaders while feeling rejected, isolated, and betrayed.
There are many good forms of treatment that can help individuals find emotional and spiritual healing from this abuse including locating safe trauma counselors, accessing resources from this ministry, and having reliable friends and family. Let us also consider another way we might find healing and that is finding God’s care in his amazing world.
This form of healing has been called ecotherapy or nature therapy. Much of what has been written about it has been grounded in worldviews rooted in paganism, Buddhism, and animism. What I have tried to do with this therapy is acknowledge the benefits of Creation and ground them in a biblical worldview of God. In this Light, our world has its origins founded upon the creative design and infinite attributes of Jesus. We know that in the beginning God created the heavens and earth and all that is in them (Genesis 1; John 1, Hebrews 1). We also know that his invisible attributes are seen in the visible creation and two of them are love and relationship (Romans 1). This is consistent with God’s personhood of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Mark 1:9-10). When working out how to understand these crucial and biblical attributes, we conclude that God is one being consisting of 3 persons. He is neither three separate and independent beings nor is he one being taking on three different roles. In his Holy community He IS infinite love and relationship. To be “person” is to be unique and includes the capability of thinking, feeling, intelligence, problem solving, distinguishing, and entering relationships. As God is the author of these traits, humans, horses, dogs, and many other animals have them too. If you are an animal lover, you already know this as you marvel at the “personality” of your beloved companions. What if God made creatures, other than his image bearers, in ways that reflect his attribute of relationship? If so, they could be key helpers in facilitating trust, when trust was not possible with another human.
As one certified in equine assisted learning and therapy, I witnessed this myself during a session with a young lady struggling with trauma, addiction, and distrust. A horse named Comet, himself a creature with a traumatic history, made a beeline for this girl. Neither had ever met the other, both had traumatic histories, yet they found each other and immediately bonded. It was to be a beautiful beginning of a journey toward relational trust and healing. I have known of other people so traumatized by humanity they would not talk to another human, but in a trusting relationship with a horse or dog found their voice. Finding their voice with a trusted animal became the bridge to finding their voice with a trusted human, which set them on a path of emotional and spiritual wholeness.
There are also other ways we can incorporate God’s creation to find health and healing. Let me share a few of them.
Wilderness
If you have a few trusted friends or family members, maybe learning the land and being challenged to use it to survive may be therapeutic for you. Wilderness is a place where survival requires physical challenges that not only test your fitness but also your knowledge about God’s provisions of wild edibles, wild medicines, natural fire starters, water filtering, shelter materials, and opportunities to help and care for each other. I taught an ecotherapy class for undergraduate psychology majors and wanted to give them a taste of wilderness living. It was a very cold January night when we trekked into a forest and set up camp. The challenge this night was to start a fire with sparks from a ferro rod (“flint and steel”) and it was imperative that we found just the right natural nesting material for a spark to catch and produce flame. Student after student tried as other students cheered each other on. Finally after the fourth student gave it a try, fire was born and the unified excitement, achievement, and comradery was palpable. It resulted in fire that produced our needed light and heat as darkness closed upon us and food was prepared. Most had never had such an experience. It was a time of sharing stories around the campfire and singing worship songs in its welcome light. It was a time for memory making and to top the night off, we had to hike back in the dark and cross a log beneath which a cold and fast stream ran. The challenge was to help each other over that log and get everyone back dry and safe. It was a beautiful experience together that made us all forget the worries of the world, if not for a time.
Spending Time on the Beach, In the Forest, by A Stream, or on a Mountain
Maybe you would rather go solo. Walking, painting, reading, meditating on Scripture, watching animals, taking photos, journaling, talking with God…all of these are potentially relaxing and internally invigorating activities you can do at a beach, in the forest, by a stream, and on a mountain. I remember taking those same wilderness students to various natural areas, having them pick solitary places, and giving them activities. Sometimes I had them journal and other times they could meditate on Scripture or take time to talk with the Creator. Some might watch a spider building a web, a mama bird bringing food to their young, take in the natural scents around them, or count how many different natural sounds they hear. After about 30 minutes, I would call them back and we would gather in a circle and share our experiences. Time and again comments would be, “I never noticed how intricate and complex living creatures are.” or “My life is so hectic and filled with anxiety, why don’t I do this more often? or “Sitting beside the stream just listening to its movement, I have not experienced that peace in a long time.”
Gardening
There is something about being outside on a beautiful day and feeling the moist texture of soil between your fingers. To think that this substance is the foundation for most terrestrial plants is amazing. It has been called black gold because from it springs resources that feed us, shelter us, keep us warm, provide food and medicine, and produce exquisite beauty. Healthy soil is a requirement for most terrestrial life directly or indirectly, hence a treasure. I find working in our garden to be refreshingly therapeutic. I love how God’s creatures turn our kitchen scraps into black gold which in turn finds its way into our gardens. To plant a seed, watch it grow, enjoy its flowers, and harvest its usable parts is a gift. For us, those usable parts become food, teas, medicine, soap, and body lotions. To be able to be part of such a process, and then remember the parable Jesus told about the sower and the seed, causes me to reflect on how important it is that our lives be rooted in His Word (Matthew 13:1-23) . The added soul enrichment of His Spirit is a healing balm producing fruit such as love, joy, kindness, patience, and gentleness and is especially powerful coupled with a community garden of safe and like-minded believers who want to grow with me.
Though we live in a fallen and evil world, our Father in heaven is still on the throne. His world still evidences His creative handiwork and the wondrous design and relational qualities of many of his creatures. It's a wonderful testament to his invisible attributes being seen in creation. He is the real God, not a distorted, controlling, cheap, and false god so many selfish and controlling spiritual leaders try to peddle to the masses. May an important seed in the soil of your healing include the one true God as you experience His care in Creation.
References:
[1] Klepeis, N., Nelson, W., Ott, W., OTT, W. et al. (2001). “The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): a resource for assessing exposure to environmental pollutants.) J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 11:231–252. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500165
[2] Bonham-Corcoran, M., Armstrong, A., O’Briain, A., Cassidy, A. and Turner, N. (2022), "The benefits of nature-based therapy for the individual and the environment: an integrative review", Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy, 50 (1):16-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOT-06-2021-0015
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