Five Minute Friday: Enjoy

Kate Motaung hosts today's joy prompt.

Maybe you know the first question and answer, possibly more, in the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever

Q. 8. How doth God execute his decrees?
A. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.

Q. 9. What is the work of creation?
A. The work of creation is God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.

Creation shows (shews) forth God's glory, so for five minutes I'll consider some ways I enjoy God through the natural world, God's works of providence and of creation. I love deserts and The Desert, as you probably can tell from the name of this blog. Portions of the Sonoran Desert are in Arizona, and I can't imagine a better place than the desert for cleansing, renewal, finding perspective, rediscovering hope. But deserts aside, Arizona and all four corners states include an exceptional expanse of nature's best and most beautiful. Sedona and the nearby town of Jerome are well-known tourist destinations; I drew this picture of Oak Creek Canyon on a visit to Sedona a few years ago.

Continuing the topic of enjoying God's creation, gardens, vineyards, and orchards literally produce boundless joy! Olives, grapes, figs, pomegranates, grain, were tremendous Promised Land enticements. God has created a bountiful variety of flowers, berries, fruits, veggies... My second illustration is another of my drawings; this time it's a juicy group of Arizona citrus, specifically oranges.