Last week we travelled to Mikazuki, a small village in Hyogo Prefecture. It's spring, and the trees are bursting with fresh green leaves. Wisteria blooms painted the landscape with soft purples, and if you happened to be downwind, their fragrance would greet you and sprinkle petals like a gentle shower.

There’s a quiet but growing movement across the world — a longing to return to nature. People are planting their own food, generating their own electricity, collecting rainwater, and even using composting toilets. It’s a shift towards self-sufficiency and living off the grid.

With all the recent world events, many of us have felt shaken, uncertain about how the future will unfold. In contrast, nature offers something grounding — something real. As technology and AI advance, the desire for authenticity and connection grows stronger.

Nature has a way of pulling us back to what’s true. Not just when we observe it, but when we engage with it. There’s something about getting your hands into the soil, feeling the sun on your back, and working with the earth that reminds you — you’re alive!

While in Mikazuki, I walked in the rain and breathed in the fresh air, surrounded by trees. I saw deer cautiously wandering down the road, nibbling on the grass. When the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, we found ourselves sweating as we swept last season’s dry leaves from the road. There was a gift in that — in working and sweating under the sun.

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And as we connect with nature, there’s always an invitation to connect with the Creator — the One who designed every detail. He made everything with such intentionality. From the practicality of food to the artistry of beauty. From the healing power in plants to the breathtaking landscapes across the earth.

If He created nature with such care and purpose, how much more true is it for how He created you?

In my home country, South Africa, there’s a region called the Kalahari Desert. It's often dry, with little rain. But recently, for the first time in decades, the rains came — and kept coming. Rivers that had been dry flowed with water. Hidden plants burst into life. The desert exploded with colour, revealing a side of nature few had ever seen.

When was the last time you truly engaged with nature — got your hands dirty, sweat in the sun, watched something grow?

And have you ever thought about the One who created it all — and the care and beauty with which He also created you?

Put your hand up if you long to get back to nature — to dig, plant, grow, and rediscover the real.

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♡Louise

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