V RaptureChrist Newsletter
March 1, 2016

Nature helps cheer me up, and the happiness it creates for me has been proven to help me in many ways.

According to Reuben Chow, as stated in health benefits of looking at greenery. "there has always been something very relaxing and attractive about parks and forests. And three recent studies have found that living near such areas has beneficial effects on our health and the health of our children."

It is referred to as Vitamin G. Stress reduction is one of the many benefits of green spaces; there is also a decrease in blood pressure. Children report less asthma attacks and less obesity if they live close to nature. This could be due to purer air and more exercise. According to Columbia University researchers, tree lined streets cut the risk of asthma 25% in children.

Cities have a lot of pollutants in their air, and many of these come from industries and cars. Vegetation can absorb these substances, making the air cleaner.

Right now, rates for asthma are soaring. This could be due to a decrease in green space. Urban sprawl means there are less parks for children to play in. Inner city children in Chicago and New York City have amazingly high rates of asthma in contrast to children in rural areas.

According to William Checkley, a Johns Hopkins pulmonologist, “We know that traffic-related pollution can be very allergenic. It could…make an individual more susceptible to developing an allergic sensitization to a specific allergen."

Researchers have found that people living near major expressways doubled both asthma and allergy risks. These individuals near the roadways were exposed to much higher levels of black carbon, a component of diesel vehicle exhaust.

Urban green space is under increasing pressure. This is because cities are growing, and along with that comes more crime, more traffic accidents, more stress.

There are many good effects of living near greenery. People feel safe and secure, more relaxed, more content. Researchers have found that there is a decrease in fatal diseases with even a small amount of green space.

God designed us to live in nature, not the concrete jungle of a city that most people are in. All of us need to eat good food and breathe clean air. Sadly, in many cities that is not easy.

Human bodies were not designed to be idle. We need to be outdoors and do more exercise.

In fact, living near a view of natural vegetation results in lower incidences of heart ailments, diabetes, asthma and migraines.

Until recently, most humans lived on farms, and city dwellers were a small percentage of the population. That has changed over the last 100 years; sadly, most people now live in dense cities with a lot of smog. They do not get to see animals or plants like before and are disconnected from the world God put us in.

Isaiah 11:6
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.

Please remember that God put Adam and Eve into the garden of Eden, not into a dense city full of smoke and noise. Humans are part of nature, and we feel happier living in places that are green. After all, Paradise is a garden full of flowers and bird song. It is not a concrete canyon.

Genesis 2:15
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.

May the Lord take us soon to this beautiful Paradise that He promises us.