Growing and Hiking
"And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide, and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19
This verse really struck me today. Is it saying we, like plants, can choose to be deeply rooted and well established in the ground of God's Love? If we choose this relationship with God we may be able to accept, by grace, the power of the Holy Spirit to help us know in our hearts the vast and endless dimensions of His love...ie. this knowing is not based on reason but is God's gift by grace and a result of our submission to that gift and our openness to actively pursuing an emotionally and spiritually centered Love relationship with God. Our understanding of God's Love is then irrational, beyond reason, surpassing knowledge. Like plants, we take God's Love into ourselves and know His Love by living in it, experiencing it and being nourished by it. In this way we are filled, protected and empowered with the fullness of God.
I remember doing a four day hike in the Marble Mountains. That's a beautiful place, full of deep forested areas and amazing, bare granite vistas, similar in remoteness and spare beauty to the Desolation Wilderness where I also did a week long trip. Of course in the DW you also find beautiful mountain lakes and no one else around...wow! Anyway, in the Marble mountains I was with a couple of folks who liked to hike like gang busters to a "destination" and then look around. I like to take my time and look around along the way. In regards to hiking philosophy, I was outnumbered so I went along with their agenda but I was a bit nervous. I remember looking at the topographical map before we started and thinking, gee, that's a long hike over rough terrain...kind of intimidating at top speed. But once we were on the trail, yeah, it was rough going in spots, but I started getting to know the Mountains by walking them and I felt less intimidated. The most interesting phenomenon was peaks and valleys that looked quite distant turned out not to be that far away and were reached rather quickly...especially at our blistering pace. By the time I had walked, eaten, bathed, explored and slept in those mountains for four days they felt like home.
Maybe our experience of God's Love is both like being a plant and hiking in the mountains.
This verse really struck me today. Is it saying we, like plants, can choose to be deeply rooted and well established in the ground of God's Love? If we choose this relationship with God we may be able to accept, by grace, the power of the Holy Spirit to help us know in our hearts the vast and endless dimensions of His love...ie. this knowing is not based on reason but is God's gift by grace and a result of our submission to that gift and our openness to actively pursuing an emotionally and spiritually centered Love relationship with God. Our understanding of God's Love is then irrational, beyond reason, surpassing knowledge. Like plants, we take God's Love into ourselves and know His Love by living in it, experiencing it and being nourished by it. In this way we are filled, protected and empowered with the fullness of God.
I remember doing a four day hike in the Marble Mountains. That's a beautiful place, full of deep forested areas and amazing, bare granite vistas, similar in remoteness and spare beauty to the Desolation Wilderness where I also did a week long trip. Of course in the DW you also find beautiful mountain lakes and no one else around...wow! Anyway, in the Marble mountains I was with a couple of folks who liked to hike like gang busters to a "destination" and then look around. I like to take my time and look around along the way. In regards to hiking philosophy, I was outnumbered so I went along with their agenda but I was a bit nervous. I remember looking at the topographical map before we started and thinking, gee, that's a long hike over rough terrain...kind of intimidating at top speed. But once we were on the trail, yeah, it was rough going in spots, but I started getting to know the Mountains by walking them and I felt less intimidated. The most interesting phenomenon was peaks and valleys that looked quite distant turned out not to be that far away and were reached rather quickly...especially at our blistering pace. By the time I had walked, eaten, bathed, explored and slept in those mountains for four days they felt like home.
Maybe our experience of God's Love is both like being a plant and hiking in the mountains.
Labels: Ruminations
posted by Michelle Coder | 1:41 PM
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