Yellowstone

Inspired by Timothy Gombis from one of my favorite podcasts: Voxolgy with Mike Erre
 

Dear Friends,

A few years ago, my extended family and I traveled to Yellowstone National Park where we camped in a stormy-cold downpour and tried to stay warm, huddled by a fire. We had all traveled so far and didn’t want to miss out on the beauty surrounding us that every morning after breakfast, we would unglue our frozen bodies from around the fire and drive to different areas of this unique biome. The steamy pools of light turquoise giving way to deep navy azure, stark against white mineral stone, seemed to beckon a closer look. Bison ambled alongside the roadway--large masses of remnant history where indiginous peoples once dwelled. Geysers belched and spit like clockwork to the sounds of squeals and laughter. An icy, alpine river sliced through the landscape leaving canyons in its path. But no matter how majestic and beautiful this countryside was, I was so cold and couldn’t quite warm up and this affected how I participated throughout each day.

Like a person’s experience with God/spirituality/church, there are different seasons and opportunities in how a person participates. One of the best places to learn about the facts of Yellowstone is the visitor’s center. If I chose to stay in the visitor’s center, I would learn about how large the park is and that it’s located on a supervolcano. It houses hundreds of animal species that coexist in a sustainable way. Indiginous tribes passed through and lived around there from 11,000 years ago until they were forced out as it became an official national park in 1872. 

Information and important facts.

If I chose to avoid the visitor’s center and instead biked and hiked around Yellowstone, I would be able to experience it. I could sit by that alpine river while the long grass tickled my legs, breathing in the crisp air as a prayer of gratitude for God’s beautiful creation. I could explore those vast spaces, traversing under evergreen trees and cut my own trail--just me and Jesus. 

Wanderlust and comfortably alone.

If I chose to join a guided tour, mixing myself into a group of curious people captivated by wonder and amazement, I could learn and experience simultaneously. A park ranger would walk us along the winding trails towards the most important sites. I would take in the color wheel of mauves, burnt siennas, and bright yellows banking each thermal spring while the ranger spoke about ancient volcanic eruptions and the calderas they formed. While I marveled over this space, people in the group might begin asking questions I hadn’t thought of before, allowing me to dig deeper and learn differently than I would have in the visitor’s center or just enjoying the beauty on my own.

Seeing, learning, experiencing, participating.
Falling more in love with God and God’s creation in Yellowstone.

In regards to my spiritual life (I mean this in a holistic sense), I could stay in the “visitor’s center” by going to seminary or reading theology books and learning everything I could about God while keeping God at a distance. Or, instead, I could hike trails and meditate on the expansive love of God through a Sun Salute and drawing near to God’s presence. I could treat the beach as my church, experiencing God in the waves but never being challenged in my thinking or seeking to know more. Or perhaps it’s not simply studying about God or simply experiencing God on my own, but maybe there’s a better way where I could mix myself into a community of faith. It’s there that I can learn from the “park ranger” and find curious and open people who are willing to ask questions I hadn’t thought of before, making way for unfamiliar encounters. It’s with this group where I learn about and experience the love of God while practicing this love and grace together. And maybe the ranger doesn’t have all the answers and maybe this group might not be perfect, but that’s not the point. 

The point is to experience and participate. 

And friends, maybe it’s okay to stay near the campfire with your closest people for a while so you can warm up before venturing out in the first place. Just don’t stay there too long because there’s so much to see, experience, and participate in. It’s in those wide, expansive spaces of creation, away from the comfortable warmth of a fire, that you are beckoned to fall into the vast love of God.
And it’s so good.

With (love),
Bethany