What does it means to be alive? Take extra time this week to observe animals, then ask yourself again, What does it mean to be alive. Perhaps birds in your backyard, squirrels on the street, or in the telephone wires, watch and appreciate and learn from them. They are busy being alive; so are you. They breathe and eat, chase and play, hunt and gather, care for their young, and guard their territory. The are similar to us in many ways?
Like animals, we share in the physicality of life. Like the animals, we are part of God’s creation and interplay with it too. The gift of life is amazing. To breathe, eat, learn, lead, and love those in our community is a blessing. We care for one another and help each other to flourish in the world God has made. We contribute to a community that bares the image and imagination of God.
And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. (Genesis 1:20-23 ESV)
Here are some practices that can connect us to all living things. Many relationships with living beings, keep us alive and healthy. From the earliest relationship with our parents to the relationship we have with our food and pets.
“We also are [people], of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all (life) that is in them.” (Acts 14:15 ESV)
Living things keep us alive. How we relate to these determines our health in many respects. Relationships, fitness, our relationship to our bodies, our diet, our neighbors, wild and domesticated animals, and medical knowledge, all contribute to our Life. Life suggestions: Evaluate your relationship with living things, plants, animals, neighbors, family, and friends, “the least of these.” Adopt a pet or support a local zoo or farm. Buy local. Find opportunities to be involved in local politics or chamber of commerce. Consider your body, your teacher. What is it saying to you about health, performance, and endurance? Your body may be your most intimate experience of Life. Are there opportunities to experience wild and domestic animals, those relationships contain insight into the mind of God. What could you learn from hunting, birding, houseplants, nature documentaries or hiking a local trail?