Go Outside and Play!

I know we are in a different day, but everyone in my generation has heard that. It was what our parents would tell us often in the summer months. Mom didn’t want us underfoot or wasting our time in front of the TV. Our parents back then believed it was good for our creative minds to entertain ourselves in the good old outdoors. And they also didn’t want us in the way. :-)Some of you probably need to be told that as an adult. "You need to go outside and play!"I’m a big believer in enjoying God’s creation. Our family vacations were always outdoor vacations (we did not do the theme parks). I grew up fishing and hunting and hiking. I believe God created nature to be our habitat and the further we have removed ourselves from it, the more emotional and even psychiatric problems we have developed. You might not consider yourself an outdoors person, but it’s important for your own well-being to at least to some degree, begin to enjoy creation. Get outside!We live in Chicagoland. For a good 4-5 months, it’s hard to enjoy the outdoors. So now, when the weather is good, get to a park and walk, bike, or run the trails weekly. Check out the Des Plaines River Trail or better yet, kayak or canoe the river itself. Stroll through the Chicago Botanic Garden.Here’s why:Nature improves our emotional state. So many studies have been published on this in recent years. We know that people who get outdoors (not in busy traffic or around town, but in a natural setting) have lower stress indicators, less anxiety and fewer struggles with depression. Going to Busse Woods and spending time at the pond or in the woods will actually help you fight depression. God’s creation tends to realign our outlook and enables us to handle the stresses and disappointments of life.Nature improves our mental state. A study done at the University of Michigan found that people performing memory and attention tests improved their scores by 20 percent after walking through an arboretum. Think of it, you would actually become smarter by getting outside and playing!Nature improves our physical health. I’m sure this is partly due to the sound of rustling leaves or trickling water, and the visual tranquility of the outdoors reduces anxiety. Stress reduction alone benefits our physical health. People who spend time in nature enjoy better health, period. Researchers at Tokyo’s Nippon Medical School, found that women who spent six hours in the woods over the course of two days had an increase in virus and tumor-fighting white blood cells, and the boost lasted over a week afterwards. Other benefits of the outdoors include lower heart rates, decreased blood pressure, reduced muscle tension, increased energy, better sleep.Nature improves our spiritual condition. That’s actually all over the Bible. Psalm 19 tells us that God’s creation declares his glory. Heroes of the Bible would regularly retreat into the wilderness to commune with God. Pick a Bible character and read their story and you’ll find them getting alone in nature where they meet with God. Jesus did it all the time!The natural world is the environment we were created to nestle in. It was tailor-made for us and we were made to be nurtured in its beauty. It was part of God’s plan that we enjoy creation. It feeds us, recharges us, and relaxes us. We are better when we retreat into it. It’s how God made us.So this summer, get outside and play! Do it often!