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FOREST BATHING (ISAIAH (41:17-20)

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “Forest Bathing.” Forest bathing is the practice of being in nature, especially in an area with trees, as an act of sensory immersion undertaken for physiological and psychological health benefits. Firstly, we shall reflect on the fact that God remembers and restores us in our time of challenges.  Secondly, we shall reflect that God created trees for our relaxation and healing.

Firstly, we shall reflect on the fact that God remembers and restores us in our time of challenges. Beloved in the Lord, during the time Isaiah 41 was written, the Babylonian Empire was the dominant power, having conquered Judah and taken many of its people into exile around 586 BC. The Jewish exiles in Babylon faced immense challenges, including the temptation to assimilate into Babylonian culture and the despair of being far from their homeland and the Temple in Jerusalem. It is in this context of exile and longing for deliverance that Isaiah’s words bring a message of hope and assurance. As part of Isaiah’s message of hope to the exiles of Israel, he mentioned that God will not only cater for the needs of the poor and vulnerable but will also restore them like the flowing of water and growing of trees on the desert. “I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, 20 so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” Isaiah 41:19-20) In other words, Isaiah paints a picture of hope where the desert will become a forest. Indeed, the forest represents hope and life but more importantly a place of relaxation, refreshment and restoration. In essence, God assured the exiles of Israel that He would restore them and be their source of hope, peace and relaxation. Beloved in the Lord, when we put our hope and trust in the Lord, he provides us with a forest-bathing experience amid our troubles and anxiety.

Secondly, God created trees for our relaxation and healing. We see the importance of our forest reserves in offering us a therapeutic forest bathing experience. Forest bathing is a practice that can be done anywhere there are trees and plants. Forest bathing has many benefits, including reducing stress, improving moods, reducing anxiety, improving heart health, and improving sleep quality. There are many ways to get started with forest bathing. One way is to find a local park or forest near you and take a walk. Spend time taking in the sights and smells of nature and allow yourself to relax. Forest bathing is a great way to improve your health and well-being. In Ghana, some of the interesting tourist sites where one can take a forest bath are Kakuum National Park in the Central Central Region, Bonsu Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region and Wli Water Falls in the Volta Region. We also have some other forest reserves across the country. The question is are we taking good care or conserving our forest so that we can reap their maximum benefit to the ecosystem? Forest bathing is one of the many health benefits we can derive from our forests. It is regrettable to note that in Ghana large tracts of our forest reserves have been destroyed because of illegal mining and indiscriminate cutting of trees for timber. The wanton depletion of our forest reserves has an adverse effect on climate change and contributes to global warming. We have seen the importance of maintaining our forest reserves for our spiritual, psychological and physical benefits. We are called upon to be good stewards of God’s creation by educating members of our community and congregations on environmental conservation practices or activities. Let us all be involved in caring for God’s creation. Let’s plant more trees and raise a generation that is inclined to stewardship of the environment.

In summary, we have discovered that God cares for us therefore our challenging situations will experience life-giving water and a forest bath experience. Again, as stewards of the environment, we conserve and make use of the forest in ways that bring psychological, spiritual and physical healing to us.

PRAYER
Thank you Lord for your active restorative power in our lives. Grant us the wisdom and will to be good stewards of our environment and may we continue to discover more benefits from Your gift of nature to us. Amen.