‘To know the creator, we need only to look at the things he has created. The way to learn about God is through the letters of scripture and through the species of creation. We should listen to these expressions of God and conceive of their meaning in our souls’ John Scotus Eriugena (quoted in Disturbing Complacency)

To grow in understanding of god, we need to listen to the word and listen to the creation, to look at the word and look at the creation, to become involved in the word and become involved in the creation. Passivity will not bring us to a point of greater understanding; there is a need to be proactive here.

Today I went for a walk and tried to sense God in creation:
I felt the cold wind
and remembered that sometimes God has a sharp word for me
I felt the rain
I saw a worm burrowing into unseen territory
and was amazed by how little I know
and remembered those times when God has refreshed me
I saw the rushing clouds
and felt God tell me it’s ok to rush sometimes
I touched the tall steady tree seemingly unaffected by the wind
and was reminded that there is also a reason to grow slow
I touched the bare plants
and heard God say he is a God of seasons
I observed two magpies playing on the breeze
and understood that humanity is created for relationship
I observed the stretching, climbing, covering wisteria
and acknowledged how much I need to be covered in God
I saw the silver birch
and to my mind came the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh
I returned
and sat with my cup of tea
gazing some more on creation
and heard the ancient echo from God
‘He looked over all he had made
and saw that it was very good’