Grounded to God

Have you ever given thought to the joy of our incarnation? We are spirits, souls, beings (pick your favorite word), who inhabit bodies. This has tremendous implications because it’s something that most of the time we don’t think about or realize. It’s not too different from a fish not realizing that it’s in water. As incarnate beings, it’s difficult to separate ourselves from our incarnate, material reality because like the fish in water, what else is there? And yet we know that there is more. Even as we live and breathe and eat in our beautiful, flawed, material world, there is a spiritual realm that is as close to us as our breath.

Think of the satisfying crunch and saltiness of a potato chip. Or perhaps the golden, soft light streaming through autumn trees. Consider the delicate but durable petals of a rose as they unfurl in bloom. Think of the sonorous sound of a choir with every voice adding depth to the music to create a unique instrument. Or the simple pleasure of climbing into a bed with freshly laundered sheets. Our incarnate reality is an amazing gift. And so is our spiritual nature that lies along side our material selves.

When Christ Church Cathedral member, Holly Milburn, was in town recently she spoke with us about her experiences for the past year as a missionary in South Africa. We were spellbound by her stories. But she also said one of the most profound things that I’ve heard in a long time. Holly, who is perhaps 22 or so, said she thinks, “God created us because God thought we might enjoy it.” What a remarkable insight!

Holly is right. We do enjoy our incarnate reality, and a loving and generous God gave it to us. But it is easy to loose sight of our God given gifts. It is easy to loose sight of our spiritual reality that is as close to us as our breath. It is easy to become cynical, bitter and pained in a difficult world.

I think that it is our spiritual nature that grounds us back to the goodness that God breathed into all of creation at the beginning of the world. From time to time we need to pause and give thanks to our loving and generous God. This spiritual practice helps us to recall the joy of our incarnation.