O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.   Psalm 104:24 (KJV)

I often find myself in a state of wonderment. The world astounds me. All nature brims with an intelligence, creativity, order, and artistry that is simply awe-inspiring. Designs of such intricacy, complexity, and variety abound, while underlying this tremendous diversity are precise mathematical patterns and strikingly similar systems replicated across widely divergent species.

That nature can also be ruthless, chaotic, and downright cruel does not negate the wonder of it all. In nature, we can find insight, healing, and encouragement. And the more immersed in the wilderness we become, the more intense the sense of affinity with nature and the deeper the felt connection to the Light that imbues it all.

Among the many literary descriptions of the spiritual awakening afforded by such a relationship is this passage by Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay Nature: "In the woods we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life - no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, - my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space, - all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing, I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am a part or particle of God... I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty."

Born into this amazing yet still mysterious universe, we are charged to claim our inheritance and become earthly reflections of the living God, all the while upheld by His faithful devotion to our spiritual well being. Why then is it so hard to live as children of God? Why does wisdom remain so elusive? Why is it so difficult to consistently make loving others the center of all our activity? In general, behavior seems to flow from feeling, feeling from thinking, and thinking from perception. And what we perceive and how we perceive depends upon our focus. So ultimately, how we develop and what we make of our lives depends on where we direct our attention, and we were given the freedom to focus wherever we want. If, for example, we choose to view nature as only a resource to be exploited for our own aggrandizement, then we will likely misuse or destroy our environment rather than act to preserve it. Or if we view someone else's negative judgment as a personal slight, we will be inclined to behave coldly or indifferently in response rather than compassionately. But if instead we turn the focus outward, our perceptions and feelings change, and we are more willing and able to behave protectively and empathetically.

Living effectively, then, may be primarily a matter of maintaining the right focus, of repeatedly redirecting our attention away from our own desires and other distractions toward the beauty of our natural world, the truths it expresses, and the basic goodness of its people. If we consciously practice responding to the Light within all the manifold works of our Lord, perhaps one day the process will become more instinctive, and then our lives will begin to flow naturally from their Source.

Thank you, Lord, for this incredible world and for the freedom to choose how we will spend our days. Support us in our efforts to shift the focus away from ourselves and towards the Light, whether it be reflected in the golden glow of a forest floor or in the piercing blue eyes of a child in need. And may the Light burn ever brighter in our souls, that we may become not only children of the universe, but also witnesses to your great faithfulness and tender loving care. Amen

Contributed by Diane S.
Sunday July 16, 2006
Liturgical Year B Week 34