The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 18
Andy Smith Photography
creaTIon care
On the Precipice: A Meditation for
our Time
by Andy Smith
M
any people today feel like the log in the photo above,
sitting on the precipice of niagara falls, ready to go
over the edge at any time. The social, political and economic
powers around us are acting in ways that seem beyond our
reach to affect-ways that are strong enough to destroy our
very being, to take away familiar patterns of existence and
send us to an unknown place. Yet, like this log, we can find a
place in the midst of the turmoil surrounding us to stand our
ground, to hang on and remain.
When we go inside to the essence of our being, we find
relationship to a much larger picture, to the source of our
being-whether we call that the God within, the power of the
universe or simply the connection we have with each other and
with everything we know.
The powerful force in this image is water, water tumbling over a cliff, water that produces a different power when
channeled through turbines, electricity that is essential to the
society we have created. Yet that water is no different than the
water of a gentle mist on a foggy morning or the water in a
hurricane or the water that comprises over two-thirds of our
physical bodies.
18
Baptist Peacemaker
JAN-MAR 2018
All water, which is essential for life, is made of two parts
hydrogen and one part oxygen. That hydrogen, the most
plentiful element in the universe, was made at the beginning
of the universe. The oxygen was made in the stars. To put
that in context, we are part of the universe and cannot escape
that. We are relatives of everything in the universe and carry
within us the natural intelligence of that relationship. As we
come to know ourselves fully, to look beneath the patterns of
society that appear to determine our lives-and often look
frightening-we gain strength to look at a larger picture.
We are connected with all that is around us. As we recognize this fact, we can no longer see anyone or anything as
an enemy to be defeated. Whether it is another person from a
different culture or a force of nature like a destructive storm,
we are related. Reconnection is the most effective antidote to
the hyper-individualism of our culture.
recognition of our inherent relationship is a powerful
force, a sacred action. It may produce a sense of awe and
wonder, loving care for another suffering human or a faith
and hope that all is well and therefore will be well. denial of
this inherent relationship leads to fear, despair and continued
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018
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The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 30
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 31
The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America January-March 2018 - 32
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/38-1
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/37-4
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/37-3
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/37-2
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/37-1
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/36-3
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/36-2
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/36-1
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/35-4
http://www.brightcopy.net/allen/peacemaker/35-3
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/35-2
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/35-1
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/34-4
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/34-3
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/34-2
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/peacemaker/34-1
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com