"Nature wears the colors of the spirit" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson This is a post on minimalism This thanksgiving I am grateful for the wild things—the things bringing order to the chaos, growing where the seed is cast and pushing diligently through the dirt. They strike the resonant chord; they play the secret melody unlocking my soul. Order and pattern and control are desirable to me, and when I live in my own created world, I find these things. But I find them in tiny pieces that leave me hungrier. And the more I strive to contain and predict the more I find the world bigger than I can master. This swings me to despair in my shortcomings, followed by gratitude for my humanity. Verily, knowing a world beyond my control persuades me to join the awe-inspiring, soul-cleansing glory of a natural melody. This melody is my promise. A promise to engage in both purpose and place. Not purpose to manipulate and oppress, but to tend, to care, to contribute. I am not the master, I am in the composition. And in this composition, I recognize life as a pleasing sacrifice, an aromatic offering, to a God who creates the universe and all that is in it. We are worship. And our worship is manifest in free-will offerings of thanks for the gift of purpose, and in our diligence to harmony, humility, and reverence. The purpose of the wild things is to grow together, and in their wildness, not their conformity, to create order. This means, for me, losing my Christian Consumerism, my perfect ideology, and recognizing that “becoming more like Jesus” is not a command to go and gather to myself more of the Jesus sold on the street. It is an invitation to see the Jesus planted within me and give him a space and environment to grow. “Follow me” is a command to rest, and to let go of the reins as I join the world in worshiping the one who set the stars, who put the wind under the eagle’s wings, the one who lives in me. Dear Reader, if you made it this far, I am going to encourage you to set your worldview as something in which you are not the center. You are meant to be more.
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I'm a Hoosier. I like the outdoors. Taxes are my job. I write for a living. This Blog
Writing my way to an adult life of minimalism, sustainability, and joy rooted in Truth. I'm learning, unlearning, and relearning.
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