A Weekly Reflection, Sunday, June 11, 2017
By: Ashley Cameron
One of the readings for this Sunday is Genesis 1:1-2; 4a – the creation story. We all know it. On the third day God called forth the dry land Earth. On the sixth day God let the Earth bring forth living creatures of every kind and created humankind in his image. Then God rested from the work he had done in creation and saw that it was good.
Recently, I returned from a week in Wyoming spending the majority of my time hiking in the Grand Tetons National Park. I relished in the fact that the minute you entered the park you lost cell service – no connection to the outside world. I was fully present in the light breezes, the tiny yellow and purple wildflowers, delightful bird chirps, and rushing streams. “Majestic” was the word repeated throughout the week amongst God’s creation.
But it wasn’t just being fully present in what we typically think of as God’s creation – the stars, vegetation, lakes, creatures – but also in humankind. I spent the week with my brother and parents; now that my brother and I are older, our coming together as a family now only happens sporadically throughout the year. We walked alongside one another catching up on our lives, or we simply sat in silence on a log staring out awestruck at nature’s beauty around us. The most important part was that we were fully present with one another. We were fully present in ALL of God’s creation. We were fully present in our unspoken love for each other.
I sat on the plane back to Richmond in tears thinking about how I don’t know the exact next time we’ll all be together again to share our love out loud or simply in silent presence. That’s because we all lead such busy lives.
How often do I put down my phone or step away from the day-to-day grind to be fully present with my loved ones? What about being fully present with God?
God created the earth, sun, seas, trees, animals, and people for us to be fully present. Just as God rested to bask in the glory and love of all creation – we too should rest. We too should be present with our love of God, love of family, and love of creation.