Muddy Reflections 1

May 22, 2026

David Holdsworth

Script: Above All Love A Muddy Church Reflection Episode 1: 🎧 Introduction You: "Hello, and welcome back to Above All Love. I’m so glad you’re here with me today. Today, we’re doing things a little differently. If you are able, I’d love for you to pop your headphones in, put your coat on, and step outside. Find a patch of grass, a local park, or a path into the woods. If you’re at home today and can’t get out, that’s completely okay—just close your eyes and let your imagination walk with me. As we start, I want you to take a deep breath. Let your shoulders drop. For the next fifteen minutes, you don’t have to achieve anything. You don’t have to prove your worth. You are just here, walking with God—and with the understanding that your good works are already prepared for you by Him." 📖 The Scripture & The Forest Analogy You: *"Our focus today is a reminder that we often desperately need to hear, especially when life is heavy and demands are high. It’s from Ephesians 2:8–9: ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.’ If you are walking right now, I want you to pause for a second and look around you at the trees. Look up at the canopy, or down at the grass beneath your boots. Think about how much effort these trees are putting in right now to exist. They aren’t striving. The oak tree isn’t looking at the pine tree, trying to out-work it. The moss on the stone isn’t panicking about its productivity. They simply rest in the soil, drink the rain, and receive the sunlight that is freely given to them. They exist by grace. And so do you. But here’s the beautiful part: while we aren’t saved by works, we are created for good works—works that God has already prepared for us to do. Our striving isn’t to earn love or acceptance; it’s to respond to the love and acceptance we’ve already received. The trees don’t grow to prove themselves; they grow because they’re alive, and in their growth, they become part of something greater. So it is with us." 🍃 The Sensory Practice (Nature Connection) You: "Let’s try a little invitation together. I want you to look around you and find something that is completely free and completely effortless—something that doesn’t have to do anything to be itself. Maybe it’s a fallen leaf on the ground, a smooth stone, or a piece of bark. Pick it up and hold it in your hand. Feel the texture of it. As you hold that object, remember this: nobody manufactured this leaf to earn its place in the woods. God created it, sustains it, and loves it just as it is. And yet, in its stillness, it plays a part in the ecosystem around it. It shelters insects, decomposes to nourish the soil, or crumbles to become part of the earth again. We live in a world that tells us we are only valuable if we are working, achieving, or climbing ladders. If you are a carer, if you are neurodivergent, or if you are just exhausted, you might feel like you are constantly failing to do enough. But God says: My grace is a gift. You cannot earn it, and the beautiful news is, you don’t have to. And yet, in your rest, you will find that God has already equipped you to bear fruit—fruit that He has prepared for you to produce, not to prove." 🤔 The Wondering Questions You: "As we prepare to walk back or finish our quiet time today, I have two wondering questions for you to carry in your heart as you look at the trees: Where in your life right now are you trying to ‘work’ for love or acceptance, instead of simply receiving it? As you look at the woods around you, how does it feel to know that God has already prepared good works for you to do—not as a condition of His love, but as a response to it? He lives in these woods, He lives in your heart, and He loves you exactly as you are." 🙏 Closing Prayer You: "Let’s pray together. Father, thank You that Your love is not a ladder we have to climb. Thank You that we don’t have to jump through hoops to be close to You. As we look at the beauty of Your creation, remind our weary hearts that we are saved by grace, not by our own works. And yet, in our rest, show us the good works You have prepared for us to walk in—works that reflect Your love, Your justice, and Your compassion. Let us rest in Your soil today, and let us rise to serve from a place of gratitude, not obligation. Amen. Thank You for joining me for Simply Fellowship. Go gently, enjoy your walk, and I’ll meet you here next time."