the healing of creation

It's been most of this semester now that I've been thinking a lot about the healing of creation.

When I was younger, I think I had a certain perception of what healing was and how it occurred that didn't exactly line up with how it was happening around me.  Some of it was probably due to the American culture I was immersed in, and our being accustomed to immediate gratification, while another contributor was possibly the facet of Christian spirituality in which I was raised that viewed healing as a primary and immediate means of God's correspondence with humanity, that was always His will and always happened (and happened fast) as long as you had enough faith.  However, this blog is neither about discussing American culture, nor is it about ecumenicalism.  It's about bloom being a whisper.  Let me tell you what I think that looks like.


Last week I took was what supposed to be a quick trip to Wal-Mart to do a follow up at the vision center for my contacts I was about to purchase.  I found myself not having enough money beforehand to buy my new contacts, and asked them if after the follow up I could come back in a week or so to follow through with the order.  They agreed that this was fine and I began my follow up.  To make a long story short, I ended up having an ulcer on my right eye and the doctor prescribed me some medicated eye drops that ended up costing me $25 that I didn't have, and a charge for the prescription write up of $40 that I also didn't have.  I was stuck wearing my glasses for another week, and being in more debt that I honestly had no desire to be in... The pharmacist told me it would be a thirty minute wait, so I started to walk around the store rather irritated.


My excursions around the mall began at American Eagle.  At the semester's beginning, I started a new work out routine to get in shape, and as Christmas is approaching I'm finding most of my clothes don't fit anymore, so I'm trying to decide where to rebuild my wardrobe at.  I've always liked American Eagle, but not always the stigma that is associated with it.  As I was walking around in the store, my heart began to sink as I was thinking about our culture's priorities.  Most of us are okay with buying a $30 shirt at AE once a month, but find excuses as to why we can't send $30 a month over to Honduras for clean water and education (myself included).  That thought quickly led to an urgency to boycott all industrial outfitters in American.  That was short lived, however when I realized I lacked the ability to make my own clothes.  Besides, I don't think that would be hitting the issue on the head.  I don't think it's where we buy our clothes that makes the difference, but how we spend our money.  I'm starting to believe that when it comes to making money, we as Christians are responsible to meet our own needs and then give the rest away.  Not to say a little luxury isn't acceptable, as long as it proves to endure with purpose... I've yet, though, to understand fully how this should unfold in my own life.


I walked around a little more before coming back into Wal-Mart, where I happened to see a man probably in his fifties in a wheel chair, missing his right leg.  I normally wouldn't have thought much about it, except what made this situation unique is that he had a friend of his, close to the same age, pushing him around the store, and carrying on wonderful conversation together.  Neither of them were dressed particularly nice, but actually had somewhat old and ratty flannel and sweat pants.  Immediately, however, I picked up on a beautiful friendship between the two.  I walked around some more before having to use the restroom, where I happened to see the wheel chair man's friend standing by the hand dryers.  I was only going in to wash my hands, but while I was doing so, I heard a voice call from the stall to his friend, "Frank, I'm done now." Now, this man had a name.  He was a real person - they both were... Frank urgently went to aid his friend in the stall as I was walking out.  At that moment something hit me:

these men probably didn't stand out to everyone.  In fact, they probably wouldn't have stood out to me if I had not been contemplating my own priorities.

We are often so bombarded with media and commercialism.  Their voices are so loud and dominant, and we want what they have to sell us so much, that I think we are missing some of the most beautiful whispers that are happening right in front of us. We are missing the subtle healing that is taking place in God's creation.  We are missing the grace that is being whispered all around us.  The whisper that has a plan - it has always had a plan.  A plan of redemption and restoration, of grace and healing.

 If we don't look, we might miss it blooming.  But either way, it's going to bloom.  We're just invited to see it's beauty and to smell it's fragrance.

I don't know about you, but that's something I want to be a part of more than anything else that is happening on this earth.