Woodland Wisdom
On February 5, 2026 by Amy BurginReading Time: 2 minutesThis morning, I took a little walk in the woods. Often, I listen to music, a book, or a sermon. This morning, as I reached for my phone, I heard God say, “Put that away. Let us walk in silence this morning.”
So I did and in doing so, met many friends.
First, I met a female cardinal. I startled her, but she only flew a few feet away from me when she landed and looked at me saying, “Oh! I don’t think you’re someone to be frightened of.”
“Of course not,” I replied. “The Spirit of your Good Creator lives inside me.”
“Oh,” she answered, “And he is the one who sustains my life. Hasn’t he given us, yet again, such a lovely morning?”
“Indeed, he has,”I replied, “and we will love him forever.”
She nodded, “Every good thing comes from him, and we will be forever grateful.”
I smiled in agreement and walked on.
Then, I saw a skunk. He (or she—I’m afraid I couldn’t tell) trotted back and forth with his tail up. “Oh, you better stay away from me! I’m very busy and don’t care a thing about you! Stay away! Stay away! I’m so busy! I’m so busy!”
“Oh dear, I will get out of your way! Goodbye!” I smiled as we hurried apart in different directions.
Next, I met two squirrels. They also seemed busy and quickly hid behind a tree when I passed.
Soon after, I met a hawk. He perched stately on a branch in front of me. When I stopped to admire him, he spoke: “Keep your eyes open—Look!” Then, he flew to a higher branch directly over my head and said, “Remember, you have been raised with Christ and from his height, you have a higher perspective.”
“Thank you, I will remember,” I promised as I walked on.
Lastly, I met a male cardinal. He sat still on a branch distant from the path. I stopped to admire him from afar, “Hello. You’re beautiful; I love your color.”
He smiled and stated with confidence, “You know, all I have to do to brighten a place is be. You and I—we are alike like that.”
“Thank you! How encouraging! And how true because of our Maker!” I exclaimed.
We smiled at the thought of our Good and Generous Maker, and I walked out of the woods to drive to work.
Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash
I love this so much! I love how God brings himself glory through his creation and when we attend to his other creatures, there is much he says to us through them. You are a wonderful story teller. I imagine this as a children’s book; you’re going to be a wonderful grandmother!
Oh yes, amen! I so very much enjoyed this little walk in the woods, thank you for coming along with me and your sweet encouragement!