Cultivate a love that is expansive, regenerative, and unconditional
In late October, the sun is lower on the horizon. Natural light between dark mornings and early sunset gets thin and temperatures drop. A few months ago, it was no problem to hop out of bed and get into the sunlit yard. For gardening, it was preferable to avoid the heat of midday, with plenty of long evenings to catch up on things. But now the to-do list is confounded, there’s a countdown toward snow and ice.
When I walk around our place, I notice young apple trees, garden beds for veggies and flowers, along with the grapevine that finally has clumps of sweetness, but my reaction is mixed. Along with the loveliness of regenerative systems inspired by permaculture principles, awe and genuine appreciation mingle with a sense of feeling overwhelmed.
No matter which way I turn there’s a project that needs attention. Weeds and crabgrass overtake gravel paths and mulch. The barn and garage are in disarray from multiple ongoing projects to where one can’t even get to the workbench. The horse stall needs mucked out, the chicken coop cleaned, and seasonal items stored for winter. Hours of work await, and all this doesn’t even include indoor projects or my parttime job as pastor of First Presbyterian Church.
I’m not the only one facing stresses. On a global scale, people wrestle with multiple major problems, from existential threats like nuclear options, global warming with another year of record heat, to pandemics, and empires raging on with greed and self-interest. Cultural fragmentation and the collapse of civilization are epoch-quality narratives at work.
Yet, like a shoot that grows from a stump, the future calls out and an integrated humanity emerges. How the world adapts to reveal a new civilization is not top-down, but from the inside. Transformation is from the heart.
Humility is a gift that claims acceptance of things as they are, rather than demand or crave some ideal in favor of what is. Partnering with the Holy Spirit, transformation of the heart and renewing of the mind involve opening to presence with Presence, being with Being. A perennial, deeper Wisdom invites.
To follow Jesus is to cultivate Love experienced at a soul level and integrated into life’s larger landscape. This love is expansive, regenerative, and unconditional. This is one project worth priority and is Christ’s central task. Spiritual disciplines like prayer, scripture reading, meditation, and engaging in community help us to open throughout the changing seasons of our life.
“For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.” (Psalm 62:5)