THE EXPANSE: FULLNESS & EMPTINESS
Megan and I hiked the Volcano Day Use Area of Petroglyph National Monument last week. What a sight/site!
The wind whistled so loudly through the area that we had to remain silent, overlooking the Rio Grande Rift's expanse and the now dormant volcanoes' jagged fault line. Even more majestic was the view across the landscape to the Sandia Mountains. A blanket of swift-moving clouds blanketed the region, casting shadows of light and dark, giving an unimaginable depth of field.
When we were finally able to hear and speak to one another, we had the same experience of a 'both/and' experience. Here we were, looking across a vast, barren desert landscape with not even a drop of water from the clouds above: emptiness. And, here we were, peering into the rich, the sacredness of the abundant diversity of the soil beneath our feet, the growth taking what it needs, and as much sky as the eye could see: fullness.
This is our faith: both/and -- both full and empty. Sometimes, we are conscious of God's brimming Grace in our lives, and sometimes, we feel parched, lonely, and forgotten. In this Lenten season, we are invited to embrace the seeming dualisms of our lives: light/dark, hungry/satisfied, rich/poor, fullness/emptiness, death/life. Upon further inspection, we can see that God is in the extremes (at the margins), right in the center, and everywhere in-between. God's expanse is our wonderland, our playground, our raison d'etre! Seeing through the lens of God's Grace, we will be in awe and say to ourselves: What a sight/site!
Together, we are held . . .
In God's Love,
Andy
| 
