Scripture:
Reflection:
This world exists because God’s love could not be contained even by God, and so it burst forth and poured out in creative action. Although neither we nor the created world are God per se, God’s love is the source and sustainer behind, within, through and around it all. I’ve often told my kids that when I’m sick or dying, they must find a way to get me outside. It’s profoundly healing to me to breathe fresh air, see blue sky, touch a leaf, inhale the fragrance of flowers, feel the caress of a breeze on my face, and soak in the sunshine. At night, I long to see the moon and stars and be enfolded in the still, quiet envelope of dark. Even in winter, I revel in the crunch of snow beneath my feet, and I appreciate the naked tree branches that witness my life, teach me to let go, and so often bend in the wind without breaking.
Perhaps it’s merely a reflection of the rural Iowa environment where I was raised, but I don’t think so. It seems that at a deep level, every human being senses a connection and attraction to the natural world. Just as God often uses people to speak to us, God’s love, healing, wisdom, and power is mediated through the things God created, provided we take the time to sit with them and let God speak to our hearts through them.
Unfortunately, as we immerse ourselves in nature and the expansive generosity of creation, we also see the wounds we humans inflict – on each other, on other living beings, and on the earth with which we were entrusted. We see how far we fall short of our responsibility to love one another as God loves us, to be healers as Jesus was, and to be faithful stewards of the world we were given. Especially in our current national and global milieu, these are serious challenges.
How can we let God’s love within us grow so strong that we can’t contain it and it must burst forth in creative action? How can we diligently care for the natural world to which we are so connected? How can we just as diligently care for each person on this earth, knowing that they, too, are a part of us, equally beloved of God and created by God?
This week, I pray to rely on God’s guidance and strength rather than my own, because the issues are bigger than just me. I pray that I can allow God to form and transform my thinking, attitudes, and lifestyle choices. Backed by this prayer, I will choose steps that I can take in the next month, no matter how small, to get closer to the ideal God seeks.
And because the issues are bigger than just me, I ask you to do the same. Even the smallest individual actions, when joined with hundreds or thousands of others, make a meaningful difference. How can you change? What can you do? Complacency is not an option. Together, as members of the one God, let’s act and commit ourselves to change.
Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago. For many years she has partnered with the Passionists. Visit Amy’s website: http://www.corgenius.com/.