Spirit Matters: Life changes with the awareness of God’s abiding presence

We have a park-like bench underneath a tree in our yard, overlooking our garden, where we have statues of the Virgin Mary and St. Francis of Assisi.

I like to go outside with my dog Zeke when the weather allows and sit on that bench in quiet contemplation while Zeke rolls around in the grass, sneezing and kicking his legs in the air. Time spent there never fails to bring me some peace, as it is a serene and prayerful space in the midst of nature.

This morning, as I was making my oatmeal, I looked out the kitchen window and noticed a squirrel on the bench, sitting still, as though it was looking over the garden. Squirrels and birds often congregate in the area, as we have two tubular bird feeders hanging from the branches of the tree. But as far as I know, sitting on the bench appreciating beauty is the last thing on their minds in that general area. Indeed, there is almost always some kind of battle going on among the creatures to get to the feeders first.

I thought about going into the back room and taking a picture, but squirrels being the way they are, I doubted I had time to get it before it scurried off. And then I thought to myself, “Just stay here and watch the scene unfold. You don’t have to get a picture of everything.”

There have been many periods in my life when noticing that squirrel sitting on the bench would have been impossible for me.

In the whirlwind of preparing to go to work, or get the kids ready for school, we often are not inclined to notice these enchanting little moments all around us, especially when stressors compound each day, seriously clouding the vision of our hearts and souls.

These days, we are collectively living in a state of ongoing chaos, where every day the news brings us more reasons to worry about our livelihood and that of our children and grandchildren. If we are even slightly empathetic, we are also worrying about the millions of people out there we don’t know personally whose very lives are at risk because of the color of the skin, the country from which they come, the lifestyle they live and countless other factors.

With these constant, targeted assaults on our psyches, we are pushed into a state of chronic stress and overwhelm. It can be almost impossible to carve out time to notice the wonders of the world around us when we are worried about the future of our existence.

But it is precisely during times of existential crisis like these that we must make time to “be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Because moments like these, where we go outside and notice the great interplay of all of creation, are our birthright. This is what our creator had in mind when forming all of us and all other living things: That we could live among each other and recognize in others a unique spark of the divinity from which we came. That we could be raised to a higher state of consciousness simply by basking in the simple, ordinary events of everyday life in our little corner of the planet.

We don’t need to live in the mountains or along the ocean to see the fingerprint of God all around us. The black soil of La Salle County that consistently yields an abundance of crops to meet various needs suffices if we open the eyes of our hearts to see it.

As Thomas Merton says: “God manifests himself everywhere, in everything – in people and in things and in nature and in events. It becomes very obvious that he is everywhere and in everything, and we cannot be without him. You cannot be without God. It’s impossible. It’s simply impossible.”

During these times of wild uncertainty, rest in the unequivocal certainty that our God indeed is everywhere and in everything. And if we go into our days with the eyes of our hearts open, we will certainly recognize this reality – which will abide long after this time of collective suffering has passed – in all kinds of magical ways.

Perhaps even in a squirrel “meditating” on a park bench in our yard.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.