All Is Full of God

The older I become, the more I see God in everything. What a beautiful way to view this world, as divine and worthy of praise. Through this lens, how can we do harm?

The spiritual teacher Adyashanti says, “The God that everyone is looking for is the ground underfoot and the foot walking on it.” This may be a bit too pantheistic for some, but the statement increasingly makes sense to me. I feel a divine connection to people, nature, and even places. I choose to go through life this way, striving to do the least amount of harm possible. In this shambolic era we find ourselves in, why not step back and see all as divine? If we believe all things possess a divine presence, it will be much harder to discriminate or hurt others.

The news is heavy with hurt. We see people abused because some have forgotten that Black skin is beautiful and holy. During this month of Pride, we also see that some are shamed for who they love. We have forgotten the divine gift of loving others. If only we could remember that we are made in God’s image and that we are all worthy of love and respect.

Seeing all of creation as holy also forces us to look at our planet differently. Would we want to pollute the divine? No. Does this mean we recycle more? Yes, but it isn’t that simple. We need to think of the many ways we can contribute to the healing of Mother Earth. It may be difficult, and even uncomfortable, but how necessary it is to tend to our planet!

This earth tending involves caring for all. I am doing my best to do so. I am a vegetarian, having given up meat almost a year ago due to the large influence of both Hinduism and Buddhism on my spiritual practice. I extend this respect to as many creatures as I possibly can. I find truth in lines from Joy Harjo’s poem “Remember,” which states, “Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their/ tribes, their families, their histories too. Talk to them,/ listen to them. They are alive poems.” Have you stopped to look at bluebells lately? How about painted lady butterflies? Nature’s beauty is a meditation on the divine. All of creation is holy. This, of course, includes humanity.

Not to sound cliche, but these are trying times. Undoubtedly, we are struggling. Yet, if we can begin to treat all of creation as holy, our chances of healing and moving forward as one will greatly increase. It is my meditation, my prayer, that all Hornets are treated with love, care, and dignity and that they extend this respect to all beings. Please know that each and every one of you is worthy of love and compassion. I am truly humbled to be here with you on this sacred journey.

Jer Bryant
Interfaith Chaplain