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All Good Things
October 14, 2024

Creation’s Embrace

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” JN 7:37-38

Spiritual thirst and longing – to be human is to be exalted and humbled by the body. We can be so weak. The more we focus on ourselves, the more vulnerable we become. We are hard on ourselves and let our self-perceptions be guided through constant comparisons, corporate advertising, and other societal pressures that make us want or “need” the next best THING. But what if you just stopped… Got off the roller coaster and looked at this life from a different perspective based on the spirit.

Go out to a park, the woods, the seashore. Look at everything that is just there. Perhaps all of this has been given to us as a gift. Perhaps we are part of that gift. Let the wonder of a bird in flight move you. That bird is tiny and extremely vulnerable, and yet it sings. That bird opens its wings and flies, coasts on the wind, and burns up to 10,000 calories a day, so it must constantly restore that energy. But it doesn’t bow its head in defeat. It knows, somehow, that it will be provided for. And so, it eats. And so, it drinks. And so, soars on the wind, climbs into the clouds, and sings. We are all part of this living earth, this unfathomable creation, the living water, and the living air.

When you feel blue, or even when you are feeling happy, look further than the things that man has created. Look outside, look inside. Go on an imaginary trip into the forest in your mind’s eye. Look at the tall trees. Feel the breeze. Smell the leaves. Give thanks for the sun and the moon. Let yourself be refreshed. The world is alive around you and in you. Open your eyes and take it in.

Susan Weisman
St. Francis College

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