By Ruth Sprayberry DuCharme
Recently, my husband, Cass, and I returned from a time of retreat and relaxation at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs.
After picking up our rental car at the airport, we headed to our destination eager to put aside work and responsibilities for a while.
Allowing GPS to guide us, we arrived at the Garden of the Gods and let out a unison, “Wow!” at the view before us.
While we enjoyed some ventures out to Pikes Peak, the Kissing Camels Rock, and some charming Colorado towns, much of our week was spent sitting.
In the mornings, we sat on our patio with coffee in hand as the local deer and rabbits came by for a visit. During the afternoons, we found a spot on a lounge chair beside the infinity pool that looked over the mountains.
Evenings would find us dining by the firepits and reflection pool until well after the sun had set and the stars appeared.
At the week’s end, Cass looked over from his poolside lounge and said, “We have immersed ourselves in this place.” He was right.
Over the years, many of our vacations have been spent on the move either hauling items back and forth from the beach, or furiously sightseeing with crowds of other people.
This was different. Each moment that we sat before mountains and rocks that only a God like ours could fashion, we would breathe deeply as though we were soaking in the very presence of God.
Beauty and tranquility are gifts from God. Immersing ourselves in these gifts is a calling to draw near to the one who formed and created us.
Jesus gave an invitation to us when he said:
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NRSV)
It is an invitation to unburden ourselves from whatever weighs us down. I don’t think Jesus meant only the burden of jobs and family responsibilities.
Surely, he also meant for us to unburden ourselves of the weight of things that keep us from really seeing and following in the ways of Christ.
Jesus is calling us to a better way that is gentle and humble. It is a calling to carry a lighter load.
We can carry less hate and pick up more love. We can release long-held prejudices and begin to see all people as the children of God.
We can let go of our preconceived ideas about religion, gender and social class — realigning them with the ways of Jesus.
The act of unburdening ourselves and resting in Christ requires an immersion experience.
It begins by looking within and paying attention to our souls. Within time we begin to see who we are in the eyes of God.
Episcopal priest John Sanford, in his book, The Kingdom Within, shares the conviction that contemporary Christians have lost touch with the human soul and failed to recognize Jesus’ teachings about the interior life.
“We are living in enslavement to what we don’t know about ourselves,” he writes.
Sanford reminds us, “that the kingdom is both that which we find within ourselves as an inner treasure and that which is searching to find us, who when found become something of supreme value in the eyes of God.”
“We are the fine pearls if the kingdom can take root within us,” he continued, “and to us God gives a place of supreme value in creation.”
We recognize the kingdom that dwells within us when we draw inward and look deeply into our souls.
The act of turning inward is made easier by participating in spiritual disciplines —such as reflection, meditation and prayer.
Immersing myself in creation and worship has also enabled me to connect with my inner self in a way that I hadn’t experienced before.
Contemplation provides a view of Christianity that is more transformational than transactional. It can lead to a pathway of following Jesus that is more about affirmation than about espousing correct doctrine.
Our calling as followers of Jesus is to immerse ourselves in his ways.
To carry on the work of helping create a Jesus worldview, we might begin by spiritually preparing ourselves to know and see Jesus within us.
Ruth DuCharme is a teacher and spiritual director in Macon, Ga. For more information visit rducharmespiritualdirector.com.