The Divine – maggiemarcum

Finding the Divine in Nature

Earlier this week I had the privilege of sharing my writing as part of an exercise in creation for our ecumenical community at The Coracle. As the church continues to celebrate the season of creation, I invite you to consider a new way of looking at the world around you, especially the gardens and grounds that we frequently simply pass by as part of our normal day. Experience all that The Divine has created with a new openness.

Creation is all around us and we can especially find the Divine in the beauty of the garden – in the smallest of creatures that crawl on the green leaves, held in place by a vine leading to a strong branch, and an even stronger tree trunk.

The more we are outside- the more we can begin to see creation abounding. The more we are in creation, we step out from the flesh and into the whole of creation – the gift of life for all, from The Maker. We are invited to take a new look, to explore the unfamiliar, or familiar, from a new perspective. When needed, we step in and see that which is neglected or in need of restoring.

Author Thor Hanson in his book, Close to Home, suggests we consider three ways of experiencing creation in and around us: in Seeing, Exploring, and Restoration. The invitation today as you walk in the gardens, walk to the ocean or hills, or help plant new creation is to stop and gaze, see, feel, hear, taste God’s presence and to seek his guidance as you step, or sit in the completive companion which is nature.

We begin with a focus toward Seeing:

John Burrough’s Leaf and Tendril said: “The lesson which life repeats and constantly enforces is ‘look under foot.’ Every place is under the stars; every place is the center of the world”

In Job we hear:

“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.
    Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
⁸Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you.
    Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
⁹For they all know
    that my disaster^[ has come from the hand of the Lord.
¹⁰For the life of every living thing is in his hand,
    and the breath of every human being.

Job 12: 7-10

As you look out today, consider the simple insect – do we just hear the buzzing around us or do we pause and also see the magnificent design of the wings and the body? Do we strain to look closer?

Be curious like a little child. Be aware and relearn how to tap into your senses to perceive the tiny details with wonderment.

How is the Divine inviting you to reorient your way of looking and seeing?

Consider Exploring, as J R R Tolkien wrote in The Hobbit: “There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something.”

When we turn to scripture, we read in Isaiah 40:

Look up into the heavens.
    Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
    calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
    not a single one is missing.

Look again in the familiar garden or backyard — what is new today? What has been unseen? A new insect? New flower bud? Be curious. Look again. Invite the Creator to reveal creation.

Look up! Look down! Look past where you normally gaze, and gaze as God does on the beautiful.

What captures your gaze and causes you to linger? What enchants you? What are you seeking from the Divine to reveal today?

Restoring takes time and commitment. Sir Thomas Quiller-Couch in On the Art of Reading shared: “Where there is freedom to experiment there is hope to improve.”

David said it even better in Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.

That is true for the land and for our soul. We can easily become diverted, yet the Creator calls us back again and again to grow into the New. We come from one place to another- called by the Divine. Restoration begins where we are. The ground that needs weeding. The bench to repair. The feeder to fill. The branches to trim. The new soil to lay and plant seeds that will blossom into newness. All of which we must tend to with regular attention to sustain growth.

Where is God showing you to turn over the soil and plant something new? Where does the Creator want your attention placed- to water and till?

Roam now and see, hear, smell, and taste creation- a gift from the One who loves us and sustains us on this planet. Linger in the aroma of Great Spirit Creator, the wonder of the Maker of Life, and know the love of Creator who sets us Free-Jesus. (These beautiful names are drawn from First Nations Version- An Indigenous)

Healthy Walking: Part 2, Take the Walk

Previously, I wrote about my reframing walk and acceptance of who I am at this stage of my aging life. Walking is my healing grace. It’s where I meet The Divine for long conversations about my life, relationships, and my place in the world.

Remembering That Day

I am fortunate enough to live in a town where I can walk to expansive neighborhoods, to the grocery store, or local restaurants. It is uplifting to stop at the outdoor market or roam through the little privately owned shops. Go local if you can and support struggling small businesses. Get to know the owners and learn their story.

I remember growing up in Germany and on Saturdays my mom and I would take off for the bakery or for the little shops around where we lived. I’ll always have a tender spot for Saturdays and cream puffs. As a teenager we always ate in little restaurants and would pop in and out of the shops-sometimes just exploring what was new and plotting what to save our babysitting money to buy. I still love browsing through the small shops as if walking in a museum, enjoying creations…that I can pick up!

My walking always leads me to thinking about where I am going, or where I am leaving. Frequently I find myself discussing this with The Divine and apologizing for mistakes and seeking forgiveness. I pray for help and wisdom to transition from one season to another.

So often we look back on our life and list our regrets. We can reflect on our years of living and be flooded with positive, or negative memories. As I walked through the neighborhood near the apartments where I live, I saw beautiful grand homes. It made me sad to think of what I had “lost” for various reasons, including some bad financial decisions I made. I no longer own a house as a result of my choices and trusting some people whom I should not have. I have said for years that I “lost” everything in those unstable times. I used to think I was such a loser and I lived with shame and embarrassment and a sense that I had squandered what God had provided.

I want to reframe that story and to now simply say: “I no longer have those things. They were season in my life that came to an end.” I will likely never own a home again, unless something miraculous happens. And that’s OK. I was a little bit of a nomad growing up – moving every two or three years and I think I have continued that pattern for most of my life. Now it’s renting instead of owning, which gives me flexibility. It may not be as economically sound as some of my homeowner friends tell me, but that’s alright. This is the season in which I am living. I am part of a community that includes folks who have made the decision to live like me and it is kind of fun to share our stories of homeowner trappings and relief!

Lean into being healthy by taking care of your heart and soul. Find the process and place where you connect with The Divine and build new life-giving patterns. For me, this summer that has been water. I am blessed to have a pool in our apartment complex and I get to spend a lot of time just soaking in the water, looking up at the clouds and reimagining the stories that they tell. Did you ever do that as a kid? Do it again! Lay down and look at the images of the clouds and let God unfold a new story for you. Never lose that child-like nature that we’ve been given.

Keep seeking replenishment, refreshment, and renewal. Be open to the change and growth that is awaiting.

I encourage you to reframe the way you look at your life and instead of losses and mistakes, maybe we can just look at it as the seasons of our life and be content with that. Seasons bring ends and they bring starts. Seasons are letting go and grabbing onto the unknown.

Hopefully, we can look back and bring joy and peace into past painful times, and know that God has repurposed those times for good. They are just times, but not wasted times. If we look at them as times of growth, and opportunities to expand our world, then we have real life. May it be so for you. May you be free of regrets and “should-haves” and refreshed in a new season of what the Creator has provided for today.

In humble peace.