Reflecting on God’s Unhurried Nature in a Beautiful Place by the Sea

In the quiet, pristineness, serenity, and beauty of a place, we can feel and experience the presence of God. Henri Nouwen wrote of the loneliness felt when God’s intimate presence is beyond what our thoughts and feelings can comprehend and grasp. It is the type of loneliness that we need to embrace in love. Henri Nouwen, a popular author of spiritual meditations, must have termed this intimacy with God a kind of loneliness because it is something experienced deep within a person, something that is beyond words and beyond comprehension.

In the quiet and beauty of a pristine place like Hale Manna, a garden resort in Moalboal, one comes closer to God, the all Beautiful One. Far away from the cramped environment in Cebu City, far removed from the polluted air due to hundreds of vehicles that ply the streets of the city, into the beauty and loveliness of a sprawling garden resort in Moalboal, immersed in the silence, serenity, beauty, and freshness of nature, I came face to face with the mystery and beauty of God. In a place where flowers bloom and different kinds of birds sing their peculiar tunes in the morning, God’s tender, holy, and loving presence is felt. It is like hearing the song “Morning has Broken” being sung and experiencing really the freshness of creation with the freshness of the morning in a place near the sea with a sprawling garden filled with different kinds of flowering plants and tress all over it and perfectly landscaped to give a pleasant view and place to roam in.

Morning has broken like the first morning!
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird;
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning;
Praise for them springing, fresh from the Word.

The freshness of unpolluted nature and the serenity and beauty of a place that goes with deliciously cooked food can indeed refresh the soul, recharge the body, renew the mind and spirit, and replace negative energies with good, positive energy. I am made to reflect on the infinite peace and serenity of the unchanging, unhurried, unhasting God. In our lives wherein we seem to be always rushing, experiencing different pressures and stress, beating deadlines, coming to a place that is fresh, beautiful, close to nature, serene, peaceful, and permeated with good energy is definitely a treat for the weary body, soul, and spirit.

We all need to get away once in a while from the hustle and bustle of the city to breathe fresh air, to be close to nature, for it is in the freshness of unpolluted nature and the serenity of a place where we can most experience the presence of God and hear His voice. This is not to promote Hale Manna to the public, but rather to stress the point that going to a place close to nature and that is filled with serenity, beauty, and good energy enables one to realize and get insights into the unhurried, “unhasting” nature of the eternal God who is in the eternal Now, who sees the past, present, and future in one vision.

He is the unhasting or unhurried One as the hymn goes: “Unhasting, unchanging, God only wise”. He does things according to His wisdom and will. He has a reason for everything in accordance with His infinite wisdom. I sensed His unhurried nature in the peace and quiet of Hale Manna in Moalboal. What we can do in the face of this unhurried, “unhasting” God is to keep pace with his peace and to trust Him because even if He is silent, unseen, and unhurried, He is working out His purposes in our lives and in the world. In silence, we can hear the still, small voice of the One who carries us in His everlasting arms.

About the author: Belinda F. Espiritu is a faculty member of the University of the Philippines Cebu. She holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature and a PhD degree in Communication. She would like to hear from the readers about their feedback or comments on her articles through her email address: belinda.espiritu@gmail.com to set a conversation going even after her articles have been published.