Today was an interesting day. My mum invited me to go walking with a bunch of middle-aged Chinese uncles and aunties whom she had never met but are from the same hometown, Hainan Island. It’s really interesting that even though they don’t know each other, it doesn’t matter, because culture brings them together.
I originally just wanted to go because I have been having a lot of difficulty sleeping and thought that tiring myself physically would be a good idea, and being surrounded by nature and having time to myself to reflect would be great. But as always, things didn’t get exactly as I planned…
I realised that walking groups like these are actually the perfect opportunity for fellowship and gospel conversations because basically you’re stuck with one another for a couple of hours.
Along the way, a conversation arose about a certain parable from the bible, ‘The Parable of the Lost Son’, and by extension, the rest of Luke 15 on the parables of the lost sheep and coin. Thankfully, I knew the parables quite well because in the past I had memorised them in order to do bible storying with an international student I was discipling about 4 years ago. Amongst many things I was able to explain the bigger picture and explain how the parables relate to the human condition and the character of God; his grace, mercy and love. It really amazes me how the past training I have received has led me to this point today. Even though I was sleep deprived and exhausted, God used me in my in my utter weakness to display His gospel; the good news of Jesus. God is truly amazing.
We walked a track that was supposedly a 4.8km circuit but we got a bit lost a few times so it took us about 3 hours. It didn’t feel that long, especially with good conversations, fresh air and the surrounding nature.
I wouldn’t say that Oatly Park is breathtakingly beautiful, but I definitely did feel a sense of peace just walking through the trees and around George’s River. I suppose it really depends how you allow yourself to see the world. Some may just see these photos and think, ‘that’s nothing special and definitely not insta worthy’, but I think if you allow yourself to be fully immersed in nature, you will start to appreciate the little things; how the water glistens and seemingly changes colour as you walk along shore, or how rays of sunlight shine through the gaps of the trees and creates beautiful shadows; or simply even the crisp fresh air that Chinese people don’t take for granted considering how polluted it is in China.
If you ever visit Oatly Park, it is a pretty easy walk following the walking track that goes around the entire park. There are some steps along the way but they aren’t very steep and are quite stable.
But most importantly, take your time to breathe in the beauty of God’s creation!
A Time For Everything 