The Joy of Being a Creature

Embracing our creatureliness...

Photo by aniket solankar on Unsplash

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us and who produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Canticle of the Sun, Francis of Assisi, 1224

We live in a strange time. Our technology is so advanced and our individualism so ingrained that many of us can pretend we are not part of our surroundings and persist in this delusion for a good long time until our surroundings crash in on us.

Don’t get me wrong. I love this illusion. It’s a comfortable cocoon. I adore my air conditioned house. I feel alive whizzing past the world and cursing at other drivers. I get lost for hours in the curated world fed to me on the internet. I’m the master of my universe. I totally get why that guy on The Matrix got himself plugged back in.

But, what to do when the wildfires come? When the deer freezes in my headlights?

You see, the problem is, it isn’t real. And it isn’t healthy.

Perhaps master of the universe is someone else’s job description. Perhaps hiding away in a Tower of Babel isn’t such a great idea.

I feel alone. I’m angry and stressed. My neighbors seem less and less relevant to me. I feel overwhelmed by a world’s worth of problems I can’t solve. Where’s the joy?

Ever Tried Just Being a Creature?

I’m going to tell you, and myself, where the joy is. It’s waiting out in the woods. Heck, it’s waiting in your backyard. (You can find it in the local clubhouse and church too, but that’s a story for another day.)

You see, the antidote for becoming isolated in a cocoon is to leave the cocoon. You don’t have to give up your AC, cool ride, and smartphone for good. Just try getting out into nature enough to gain a richer perspective.

What happens when we get outside and enjoy it with intention? Yes, we get sunburned and sweaty and bit by mosquitos. But what else?

We start to see the beauty and wonder in nature. We feel connected to the world around us. We feel calmer. We feel rejuvenated. We feel joy. Believe me, you can taste, touch, and see all that in a 20 minute walk.

There is no magic formula or incantation. Just go outside and see and feel. If you want to get fancy about it later, get a backpack, or a kayak, or some snowshoes.

Why does this work? Because this is how we were created to be. We feel alive and connected in nature, because we are alive and connected. With all the other creatures flying, crawling, and flitting about, we sense that we are creatures too. We are part of the world that surrounds us, not apart from it.

We might be the crown of creation, but that means we have a special calling to stewardship and service. To be a steward and a servant, you have to get your hands dirty. You can’t hide yourself away in a tower and pretend the outside world exists only as an object for your amusement and sustenance.

The inside and virtual worlds promise easy comfort and transcendence of our limits. But this is a lie. There is no such comfort and transcendence on our own. Instead, we reap alienation and despair.

We are creatures. We were designed to be creative, to cultivate harmony in nature, to live in community, and to be limited. We find true comfort and transcendence in embracing our creatureliness, in embracing creation, and in embracing our Creator.

You can get all that in a 20 minute walk in the woods? Try it and see.

Leave the tower so you’re ready and steady when the wildfires come.

Share Your Thoughts and Experience

How about you? What is your experience? Do you prefer being indoors or outdoors, online or in person? Why?

Has being out in nature influenced your life and your outlook? How?

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A Short Meditation

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Luke 12:6-7

Communing with creation leads me toward communion with our Creator. Spend some time sitting outside, and notice how he loves his creatures:

“[The ravens] neither sow nor reap… and yet God feeds them.” (Luke 12:24a)

“[The lilies] neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Luke 12:27)

When I see how he loves them, I get an inkling of his love for me, displayed on the cross. This is the gently wooded path that leads on to true rest.

Why should I feel discouraged… when Jesus is my portion… his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.

His Eye Is on the Sparrow, Civilla D. Martin, 1905.

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Un Petit Aperçu

Quand nous sortons dans la nature les yeux ouverts, nous commençons à voir la beauté et les merveilles de la création. On ressent un sentiment d’appartenance au monde qui nous entoure. On se sent plus tranquille et revigoré. Vous pouvez vivre tout cela en 20 minutes de marche. Nous sommes des créatures. Nous trouvons une vraie joie en embrassant notre qualité de créature, en embrassant la création et en embrassant notre Créateur.

Et vous ? Avez-vous passé du temps en plein nature ? Comment cela a-t-il influencé votre vie et votre vision du monde ?

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Μία Περίληψη

Όταν βγαίνουμε στη φύση με ανοιχτά μάτια, αρχίζουμε να βλέπουμε την ομορφιά και το θαύμα της δημιουργίας. Νιώθουμε πιο κοντά στον κόσμο γύρω μας. Αισθανόμαστε πιο ήρεμοι. Αισθανόμαστε ανανεωμένοι. Νιώθουμε χαρά. Μπορείς να τα ζήσεις όλα αυτά σε 20 λεπτά με τα πόδια. Πλάσματα είμαστε. Βρίσκουμε αληθινή χαρά όταν αγκαλιάζουμε την κατάσταση και τα όριά μας ως πλάσμα, όταν αγκαλιάζουμε τη δημιουργία και όταν αγκαλιάζουμε τον Δημιουργό μας.

Τι λες εσύ; Έχεις περάσει χρόνο στη φύση; Πώς έχει επηρεάσει τη ζωή και την προοπτική σου;