On the Minister's Mind
by Rev. Laine Morgan
In his famous essay titled Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote these profound words – “Nature is the symbol of the spirit.”
Last week I spent one of the hottest weeks of this summer out west immersing myself in nature and all its glory. I totally understood what Emerson was trying to convey with that impactful statement.
Even though I grew up in Colorado and ventured across the border into Wyoming a few times to visit a lake my family loved, we never drove all the way to the Northwest corner. Therefore, somehow, I spent my childhood living in close proximity to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, without ever visiting them. I have wanted to remedy that for many years, and I finally got it checked off my list!
The trip was remarkable. Everywhere I turned, I saw things I had never seen before. There were millions of flat acres of sage brush and large rocks, completely uninhabited and mostly untouched by human hands. Then, we would drive further and be surrounded by rock formations created by volcanoes and earthquakes that occurred millions of years ago. A few hours down the highway, and everything would change again as we entered verdant mountains and valleys.
Evidence of recent massive forest fires was everywhere, and it was clear that nature had the ability to heal itself in the years that followed. Aspens and evergreen trees shimmered in the unrelenting heat of August, and the mountain rivers glistened in the sunshine. The sky was an indescribably shade of blue sometimes, then darkened with storm clouds, before falling into inky blackness of the night.
As we drove, I saw herds of deer and elk and pronghorn, mixed in with both wild and domesticated horses and cattle of every color and variety on the vast ranches we passed. And the little prairie dogs, squirrels and chipmunks were also plentiful. And, yes, I had the delight of seeing grizzly bears and moose and American Bison in the parks. As I have identified the otter as my personal “spirit animal”, I was also overjoyed to see a river otter just before leaving Yellowstone, but they were all spirit animals for me this week.
The bottom line is that God was on full display in nature for me. Well, to be more accurate, I was in deep awareness of the Divine presence this week in the nature I encountered. God is on full display in every second of every day, I just sometimes forget to notice. Maybe you can relate, so the key is to stay aware.
God showed Itself to be diverse, majestic, beautiful, creative, ordered, ever changing, balanced, intelligent, responsive, everywhere present, and wild – just to name a few adjectives. I am in deep gratitude for this experience, and I am challenging myself to go outside and notice Spirit in the Florida humidity, the sandhill cranes, the geckos on my lanai, and the hibiscus flowers outside my door. When we remember that God is omnipresent, we merely need open our eyes and hearts.
To quote Emerson again - "Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air."