I love autumn. I have always loved autumn. I love the changing colors. I love the warm days and crisp evenings. And I love, love, LOVE the smell of fallen leaves. My family will tell you that I mention how much I love that smell multiple times on every fall hike we take. I used to wonder why I liked that scent so much. I does not bring any specific memories to mind (other than remembering how much I love that smell). I does create a sense of calm in me, however, and the sense that I belong there, in the woods, out in nature.
I have come to understand that this feeling of belonging is simply a connection to God. Many of the Bible writers testified to the ability of nature to reveal God to us. Here are a couple examples:
Romans 1:20
Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.
Job 12:7-9
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you;
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
For whatever reason, it is the smell of fallen leaves that sparks that divine connection for me. As I walk, breathing in the smells of autumn, I feel loved, cared-for and content.
Is there a part of nature, scent or otherwise, that reveals God to you?