Off-Topic #1 || Thoughts on a Bushwalk

Hey guys! So, you probably guessed this post is way overdue... I should have done it 3 days ago but I didn't... *hides face in shame* Anyway, I will be doing my first Off Topic of the Month today! At the end of every month, I plan to post a little diversion from my normal literature theme. Umm, Jemima, I don't know if you noticed but it's actually the beginning of the month....

I know, I said I was overdue! *blushes* 

Anyway, most Mondays my family and I take a day off and just chill. Sometimes we go to the beach; lately, rambles in the bush have been the theme. I took way too many lots of photos, so I thought it might be nice for you who are interested to see the Australian bush! I also had some musings as I walked along, so I thought I'd also put those in. Enjoy! =D

 This was probably my favourite photo of the lot.

                           

 Yours truly, inside an old hollow tree trunk we found. I'm not photogenic at all. =P                    

        Another nice one. We had 2 friends join us for this particular bushwalk.

I don't know if you can see, but there are two paths in this photo, and the sun is shining brightly over one. A verse I thought of was Psalm 16 verse 11. "Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy prescence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." As a coincidence, the sun is over the right hand path! 

I thought these were quite pretty!

On another bushwalk, as we were walking along, I was a little timid and fearful. There were loud bangs further down the valley, and I was a bit spooked at the loneliness and unending expanse of the bush. 

(I know, silly, isn't it! Sometimes I have too keen an imagination for my own good... ;P)

But, then we came upon;

These! This cluster of rocks was huge! They don't look that big because my Dad and sister are standing near, and they make the rocks look only a bit bigger than human height. Actually, my sister and Dad are a lot closer to the camera, which obviously makes them look bigger. My other sister, Abi, is on the tallest rock for a real scale comparison. They made me think of this verse, which was perfect for calming my nervousness; it was from Psalm 18, verse 1.

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I shall trust, my buckler, the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

A bit closer up. Climbing these rocks was so fun! I'm only dissapointed I didn't get any photos looking from the top. The view was amazing; we could see all over the valley for kilometers and kilometers. Except for a large clearing of farmland, everywhere was just green tree tops, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Can you see Abi's head peering over the edge? ;D

                                                         A weird, but kinda pretty, bush.

This would have to be the tallest grasstree I have ever seen! Most are around 1-2 meters tall, but this one, Dad guessed, was 8-10 meters tall!!! Blackboys/grasstrees are super slow growing, so we looked it up and calculated this one would be, at the least, 400 years old! :O 

This wasn't a great pic, but it gives you an idea of the amazing height.

Nearby the mammoth grasstree was another one of similar height. I didn't get to photograph it, but it was so tall that it had cracked in half and toppled over, probably from a gale: I later thought of an interesting lesson from the two grasstrees. When we exalt ourselves or grow tall and proud, the winds of affliction and trouble, and God's punishment, are more likely to snap us and break us, like the fallen grasstree. Those who stay humble and close to the ground, and God, will stand firm when trouble comes. It is harder for those grasstrees who are short to be blown over.

Luke 14 vs 10 (NKJV) says "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. "

And James 4:6. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time."

This was another, shorter, rock that we climbed. 

The sun came out and let me shoot a typical Aussie bush picture - those trees are redgums and whitegums!

Another interesting spiky plant.

And, with that, I will bring my post to an end! I hope you all enjoyed my bush photobomb, and my 3, wait, 4, lessons I learnt from our ramble in nature. The last was; God's creation is so wonderful! 

It was extremely refreshing to get out and see what beauty He has made, and learn some of His truths through this. And if His creation is amazing, how infintely super duper more amazing would the Creator be! What an infintely intelligent, loving, wondrous and creative Father we have!

Here's a final quote and 2 Bible verses;

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in."

~ George Washington Carver

Matthew 6:30:

"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today today is, and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

And, Romans 1:20:

"For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,"

Have a very blessed rest of the week, everyone!

Blessings,

~ Jemima