By Gabby Castañon, a senior environmental science major from San Antonio, Texas
Scripture: Romans 16:25-27 (NRSV)
During the fall of my junior year, I participated in the Sustainability Leadership Semester at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center. While my time there was abundant in meaningful experiences, one assignment prompts particular reflection. Our professor asked us to choose a place on or around Merry Lea where we would visit several times a week and simply be. Compared to other academic tasks, this sounded rather simple. The first couple of times I visited my spot, located on a path that bordered a wooded area, the wetland and tall prairie grasses, I was rather excited. Upon sitting, I found myself growing more restless and confused as to how I should center my thoughts. I didn’t know what to do. I stood, I sat, I kneeled and wrestled with the mysterious learning outcomes of this assignment. And then I decided to extend my body on the earth, welcome her solid embrace and look up at the vast sky above.
Through detaching myself from wandering thoughts, I was able to honor the glory of God’s creation around me. This practice was a call to simplicity — an invitation to the now. The scripture encourages me to draw awareness to the present moment and honor God in the only time and space we ever have — the now. So let it be now that we bring glory to the god above us and below us and around us, to the god manifested among the clouds and the leaves, and the areas we disregard. May we honor God’s glorious abundance through the small moments that comprise our lives.
Scripture: Romans 16:25-27 (NRSV)
Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.