twenty-three

I just walked in the door, wet from a brisk, rainy Washington evening walk. I’ve been walking to work more these past few weeks. On nights like tonight, it’s easy to question why. It’s cold(ish). Wet. Dark.

And then I remember. It’s because in the wet, windy air, I feel something that reminds me that I’m alive. For me, it’s pretty easy to box up my life into the dry, warm house I live in; the somewhat trustworthy and always enclosed car I drive; the little cubby hole of an office I spend my day in. It’s easy to quickly transfer myself from one box to another, protected from the elements (warm or cold) by Gortex, Windstopper, and air conditioning. And with those things, it’s easy to forget that God’s raw, beautiful, very much alive world is out there.

I’m not walking to work just to feel the wind on my face, mind you. I walk to save money on gas, to be active, and maybe to do my little part to chip away at our addiction to oil and be a little more “green”. However, I think God has other reasons for calling me to “foot-it” sometimes. Maybe it’s to remind me that his creation is out there. Maybe I need to remember that I am a part of it and I’m responsible for being a creative member of it. Maybe it’s a way of showing me that things may really be perilous out there and in need of redemption, not just spiritually, but physically, by means of conserving, preserving, and respecting the powerful elements God has put in motion.

On this dark, wet night, I remember God’s wild world out there. The world of wind storms, warm sun, snow and ice, cool breezes, giant trees, and teeming with life, which I am a part of. And just as the rain makes my jeans and sweater wet, the powerful world God created that I’m a part of impacts my life more than I realize. And, as a good steward of God’s kingdom, I’m reminded I’m responsible for impacting the natural world responsibly as well.

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