Monday, August 26, 2013

Resiliency


My husband and I were pulling out some suckers away from a blueberry bush in our back yard and I noticed this! Heart shaped leaves climbing an unused clothesline that has been drooping unused from the pole.   

In the midst of a day of frustrations, petty frustrations, and definitely first world problem frustrations, this seemed like a sign from God for me. A sign that love is present in the midst of frustrations and the messiness of life and not to wait for some perfect time to express love and to be love. A sign that God doesn't wait till everything in our lives is in order to make an appearance and so why should we wait? In fact, over and over again (I am a slow learner sometimes) I find that life and love is in the messiness of life, despite my constant urge to create order out of the messiness.

Friends have since told me that this is probably wild morning glory that will take over our back yard if not held in check. In that case, isn't it the perfect symbol of God's love and perpetual reaching for us? Wild and untamed, flourishing despite conditions, not because of perfect conditions. 

How often do we neglect our relationship with the divine? I know that despite being in ministry, it is all too easy for me to push aside my need for a personal relationship with God and continue on with the tasks of ministry, trusting that God will be there when I make time, even when I don’t spend much time nurturing that relationship. Think about it, is there any other relationship that would flourish and endure without some effort on your part? And yet every time I turn to God, God is there and I am nourished. I have been a bit more intentional this summer about spending nurturing my spirit, a month of vacation and a month of sabbatical have made it easier. My prayer is that when I return to church life on September 1st, I will carry that habit forward into my ministry life. 

God and nature continue to surprise, delight and intrigue me. The resiliency, determination, and drive to reach for life. Like wild morning glory, God reaches for me, prods me, confronts me and comforts me. And that’s my window on God's world.





Monday, August 19, 2013

I was at Tatamagouche Centre www.tatacentre.ca at the end of June participating in a program on spiritual deepening. 

During that time I was introduced to a spiritual practice that was new to me: 'visio divina’ and ‘natura divina’... exploring the sacred through visuals and nature. I discovered a love of photography as a way to reflect upon God's image in the world and have been seeing the world a little differently ever since. 

This picture to the left is the window in my front door;  it portrays what I hope to do through this blog: reflect on how I see/experience God at a particular point in time through images, usually using my own photographs. 

So, what does the image say about God and life? What does it say about the workings of my soul and spirit? There is light and dark in the same image, and various shades, a reminder that no experience is ever one thing or the other, and that we can count on the light replacing the darkness. There are curves and straight lines and no one right way to find God. There are some almost greenish places… what is growing and being nurtured within me right now? Not in some mythical, perfect time, but right now, in this life I have.  

There is mystery… what lies beyond or through the window? What will I encounter THIS day as I step outside or go deep within myself? How does who I am on this particular day affect who I encounter or the types of encounters I have? 

How is this portal, this space between my personal and public lives, significant as I step over its threshold? Do I even realize that I am crossing a threshold? Most days, I confess I do not, mentally, I am already at my first appointment or into my first task. And yet, if I would pause... and breathe... and be present... I would know that the doorway holds endless possibilities as I go through it. 

May your windows be open to the possibility of encountering the sacred.