When we experience beauty, we feel called. ~John O'Donohue
I can remember being 12 years old on a crisp fall afternoon, sitting on my branch in the woods on the farm where I grew up. I sat there completely still, transfixed by the way the light flooded through the falling leaves, casting its rays upon the ground. All around me birds sang sweet melodies beckoning me into the moment. I couldn't help but be exactly where I was, which was why I was there—I have always longed to be here, present.
Much of what I've read about "calling" is that it is that "thing" we were created to do, to carry out, and that it is something we pursue, something way out ahead of us that we go after. Much literature explores calling as being rooted in our uniqueness, inherent in who we are; yet, it is still something to move toward, as though it is forever out of reach.
What if a calling is not this elusive, distant dream or aspiration of our soul. What if a calling is actually a prompting of the soul to awaken to our inherent capacity in this moment, right now. I believe we are always growing and changing and transforming and becoming, that is what life is all about—striving to become the best versions of ourselves; little by little, day by day. However, if we are overtly and solely focused on who we could be, we tend to neglect to be who we are, right now—and who we are right now is magnificent. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of our own nobility.
That 12 year old version of myself knew this, which is why anytime I was feeling unloved/unlovable, not enough, or just plain down, I would go sit on my branch in the woods at my parents farm and immerse myself in beauty. For when we experience true beauty we feel called—not to something out there far away from us, but to the present moment, to all that is worthy and good within us, to the glory and grace of God in our lives.
May we all seek the beauty that beckons us home.
With love,
