Moments of Creation

So I'm still here in the valley looking for housing, when all I really want to do is go back home for a few days. However what's the point in driving all the way there just to have to come back to do the same thing. Needless to say I'm praying up a storm that God will help one of the housing options I've possibly found come to fruition. However I have been so thankful too for the last few days. I know that God always keeps one in the holding pattern when we need to learn something, and one thing I particularly always need to re-learn is that of patience and continued trust and faith.

Yesterday my granny and I walked around the property of the assisted living place where she lives and looked at the local wildlife. Her apartment is on a "lake" (I call it a large pond) and so there are tons of ducks, squirrels, geese, fish, etc always around. Yesterday we even spotted a blue heron, and were able to get some good pictures of the swans. On our drive to my brother's for a Labor Day BBQ, we both were so mesmerized by the varying shades of blue in the sky, the slight turning of the leaves on the trees heading from brilliant green to yellow and orange, the dark green of the grape vines, and the dried grass across the fields. September is upon us and we can just begin to feel the encroaching fall.

All of which reminding me of how much I love this season, and of how important it is to take the time to be mesmerized by nature. Appreciating nature increases our desire to protect it, and our ability to make changes in our individual lives in order to do so. It's always interesting to me how God put us in charge as stewards of His Earth, yet so many Christians (and others of faith) fail to do many of the things He asked of us. We turn a blind eye on a daily basis to one of the greatest gifts He gave us.

The sermon in my home church here on Sunday was entitled "Entertaining Angels Unawares" and the visiting pastor gave several examples of how Christians should represent God's love and how we do interact on a daily basis with angels. In my mind, every person, every creature, every aspect of creation can be seen as an angel, and yet how frequently do we reach out to protect, nurture, love all of it and the entirety of life that it holds....How often do we have the chance to "entertain angels" yet fail to do so?

The following is part of the Affirmation of Faith said on Sunday:

"Their daily action in the world is the church in mission to the world. The quality of their relation with other persons is the measure of the church's fidelity. Each member is the church in the world."

How true this is, and how often that we need reminding.....I hope that everyday I can remember to thank God for the beauty and supremacy of His creation, and that I can make a positive impact upon His gift.