Reminders for Your Spiritual Journey

Many people report feeling closest to God when they are enjoying His natural creation.  There is something about strolling through a majestic forest or watching a particularly colorful sunrise or sunset that brings out our feelings of awe, appreciation and gratitude for God’s beautiful handiwork.  Those who experience nature as an inspiring experience, might tell you that they see the interconnectedness of everything more clearly in the intricate variables involved in every part of nature and marvel at the complexities that all work together to sustain life itself.  Some researchers who have studied the effects of communing with nature have identified several aspects of spiritual wellbeing that can result. 

Human connection with God, human connection with one’s self, human connection with others and human connection with nature can work together to support, a balanced value structure and add to our feelings of belonging and love.  When we feel like we fit into our surroundings and feel like we can navigate well within it, it generates feelings of love, wellbeing, comfort and security.  The importance of immersing one’s self periodically in pleasurable experiences in nature are demonstrably important to our physical, mental and spiritual health. 

Of course, once we are aware of the effects of climate change and the human connection to the detrimental effects of some of our activities on the deterioration of certain natural phenomena, it is more difficult to maintain a positive outlook.  The official stance of the United Methodist denomination is: “The United Methodist Church believes in the need for environmental stewardship.  For Christians, the idea of sustainability flows directly from the biblical call to human beings to be stewards of God's creation. Through various initiatives and programs, the United Methodist Church encourages its members to engage in environmental stewardship practices.  This includes supporting sustainable agriculture, advocating for environmental policies, and promoting energy conservation within church facilities.”

Most Christians acknowledge that care of creation is an act of discipleship, we are stewards of the earth, summoned by God to “work it and take care of it” Genesis 2:15.   Our uses of the earth must be designed to conserve and renew it rather than to deplete or destroy it.  We trust that God can handle the long term and rejoice in the fact that one day there will be a new earth.  But we have a responsibility to the earth now.  Our dominion over the earth should never be confused as permission to abuse or abandon it.

“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it.  Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy.” Psalm 96:11-12

According to Wikipedia, “Justice is the concept that individuals are to be treated in a manner that is equitable and fair.  A society in which justice has been achieved would be one in which individuals receive what they "deserve".  The interpretation of what "deserve" means draws on a variety of fields and philosophies, like ethics, rationality, law, religion, equity and fairness.  The state may be said to pursue justice by operating courts and enforcing their rulings.”

From Ancient Greece to the present day, the concept of justice has evolved and has been based on a variety of philosophical, religious, and ethical ideas that people are to be treated impartially, fairly, properly, and reasonably by the law and by arbiters of the law, that laws are to ensure that no harm befalls another, and that, where harm is alleged, a remedial action is taken––both the accuser and the accused receive fair treatment and when called for, reasonable rewards  and/or punishments are administered. 

No system of Justice is perfect, other than God’s, and in the end, He will be the ultimate arbiter.  Until then, we must work within the justice system, as it is practiced, where we live.

So, what does it mean when it says in Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”?  

When we see need, pain, loss, discrimination, bias, fear, or wrongdoing we should respond with mercy, as God has shown us mercy.  To do justly is therefore a practical application of the first and second great commandments, to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”  In other words, when we do as Jesus instructed us: to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, house the homeless and comfort the sick and bereaved, we are doing justice.  We are helping compensate for the injustices of not having enough to eat, of not being well and able, of not having adequate housing or warm clothing to wear.  Doing justice means working to help right the wrongs we see in the world, however we can.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?  So, also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” James 2:14-17. 

Decluttering is a deliberate decision to free ourselves from the overwhelming accumulation of possessions, commitments and thoughts that no longer serve a purpose for us.  Some of us think we have controlled things well because we have moved frequently, until we look closely and realize that some boxes have moved with us several times and have never been opened.  Some of us think we have kept things under control because we have a clutter free-living space but then remember that we have a room, attic, basement or a storage unit full of things.  “Out of sight, out of mind”, does not solve the problem, it just puts off dealing with it for a while.

“A place for everything and everything in its place” works for people who have room for everything to have a designated place, but it too might be misleading.  Having everything in a place does not guarantee that you can find it, unless you are one of the few who have a perfect inventory system that helps you keep track of where everything is or have a label on every container that tells what’s in it for easy retrieval. 

Some questions to ask ourselves are:

Why am I hanging onto this?  Wrong answers might be: “It might come in handy someday” “Because a dear person gave it to me", or “Because it cost too much to just discard or donate”.  The only right answer is: “I have a very specific use for it in the near future.”

Have I used or worn this in the past two years?  If the answer is “No”, then think further, about the odds you will use or wear it in the next year and does it even work or fit anymore.  Yes, styles sometimes do come back around, but always enough different that it isn’t going to work for you, even if you haven’t changed shape.  Sell it, toss it or donate it!

Should I sell this thing and get some cash?  The answer is “Probably”, but the questions are: “Do I want to go through the hassle?” “Do I have time, and will I actually do it right away or will this thing take up space for another year or more while I procrastinate?”  If you are good at following though and have an easy way to sell things, DO SELL!  But if you aren’t, DO DONATE!  Some people in need should have the blessing of getting something they can use, at a bargain price, and you can write its value off your taxes as a donation to charity.

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord and He will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17