Feeling for life

Do you ever feel that you want to dig deeper into your life? I mean, the feeling part of it -- the now. We want to find out what's there, and exactly what life is made of? What'll make us a part of it? We all feel the desire to reach out and grasp a hold on life, don't we? But when we spread our arms apart, all we physically feel is usually air--but that's a very important part, too. In fact air is the most crucial gift of all.

When I was a little girl, living on a farm in Southeast Missouri, often, when I was bored, or even just wanted to occupy myself, I would take walks. These walks were usually by myself. I would strike out across the fields that stretched far and wide across the picturesque land. I prepared my lunch, usually peanut butter sandwiches and water, then I took off.

The hills, ditches and level ground greeted me along my way. Green grass and planted grains rose up and said, "Touch me and feel my tranquility. Man planted me and I grow and produce, with little effort on my part." Sometimes, I would lie down on the ground and listen -- listen for what might be there of which I had been aware. What sounds would make me more aware of God, that there WAS a God. It seems like the ground does have sounds. I wanted to insert myself into that world of which I couldn't see--to touch it.

Eventually, after my search of the unknown and mysterious, both physical and within me, I would collect my belongings of empty sandwich wrappers and a water jug, and trudge on home. I was tired, but refreshed--another enigma--to be tired, yet refreshed.

Have you ever gone to the ocean and explored the waters, the depth and mystery that lay underneath the calm, sometimes turbulent, and always so massive. I have. I would wonder what was underneath that huge body of water, clashing and resting, and clashing and resting again, with a dependable routine for a while. I didn't dare venture too far out into that unknown. I tried to imagine what hidden treasures were underneath. What secrets did God have stored underneath the volumes of the water? Ahh, how my imagination soared. It was scary to be immersed in the vast underworld of the ocean. What would God reveal to me, there, on my journey into feeling life? Sometimes, I do receive insights on those journeys -- at least an amount of peace.

As I write this column, I'm sitting and stealing glances outside my family room window, to watch the birds as they light upon the feeder outside. The dominant birds rule and the fittest still survive, in the world of nature. The larger birds take the front seat while the smaller birds take the back. When the dominant birds leave, or change their position, the smaller ones, again, venture back to feeding. Those tiny creatures are such a joy to see. What a feeling of life you can have when you attempt to immerse yourself within their small delicate world--see their obvious dependence on humans or what's around them. God takes care and provides for their innocence as Matthew 6:26-27 states: "Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them."

God speaks to us in numerous ways. If we but look and feel what's around us, we will receive insights, like no others. Listen to the land, the waters, and nature. What does their appearance or lifestyles tell you? Search the depths of your heart and mind, and you will be surprised. We learn through feelings, education, sight, to a point, the words of others, events and almost everything -- but ESPECIALLY THROUGH FAITH. "We walk by faith and not by sight." (Corinthians 5:6-8).

Look beneath the crust of words, sights and feelings within you, to find out what your God is telling you. The knowledge and guidance is available. Be open to all that's around you, including what your insights reveal. Look, listen and feel -- and open your heart.