We Are Not Separate: Rediscovering Our Place in God’s Creation

 

How we relate to others and the world depends largely on how we understand ourselves in relation to it. Some see the world as merely material, empty of God’s presence, or even as something to control, dominate, or fear. Others, including mystical thinkers, perceive the world and its inhabitants as inherently sacred, infused with God’s continuous presence. From this perspective, we are not separate observers but inseparable participants in creation, emerging from God, our single source.

Alan Watts, who introduced Eastern wisdom to the West, beautifully captured this idea: “We do not come into the world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean ‘waves,’ the universe ‘peoples.’” Understanding ourselves as emerging from the world, rather than arriving in it, can deepen our connection with creation and inspire reverence for all life.

The Bible affirms this organic relationship. Genesis 2:7 tells us, “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,” showing that humans are not foreign arrivals but arise naturally from creation. The psalmist echoes this, saying, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Scripture portrays humans as emerging from God’s creation, inseparable from it, just as Watts describes.

Franciscan spirituality complements this vision. In his Canticle of Creatures, St. Francis calls the sun, moon, fire, and wind his brothers and sisters, celebrating the sacredness of all creation. Watts’ imagery of leaves from a tree aligns beautifully with this: our lives flow organically from creation, intimately connected with all living beings.

Many environmental and relational struggles stem from seeing ourselves as separate from the world. When we forget that God resides in creation, or that how we treat nature affects us, we lose harmony. Embracing a vision of ourselves as emerging from God’s creation can bring peace to our hearts, strengthen relationships, and cultivate awe, joy, and reverence for the world.

Recognizing that we are not separate invites us to live in connection—with God, with creation, and with one another—truly honoring the sacredness of life.

When we honor creation, we honor the God who dwells within it.

 

Notes

Watts, A. (1989). The book: On the taboo against knowing who you are. Vintage Books.

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We Are Not Separate: Rediscovering Our Place in God’s Creation.

Explore this theme in three different formats—each offering a unique way to reflect and engage:

📄 Article: https://lifespring-wholeness.blogspot.com/2026/01/darkness-is-not-dark.html

 🎧 Audio: https://youtu.be/6bQItz5vgVc

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Darkness Is Not Dark

Darkness and light are often understood as opposites, canceling each other out. We imagine light-filled stars and galaxies on one hand, and dark, empty spaces on the other. But is darkness truly empty?

Modern physics suggests otherwise. Scientists tell us that absolute darkness does not exist. Even what we call “empty space” is not truly empty. Physicist Brian Greene explains that space is filled with fluctuating energy fields; some form of energy is always present, even in the deepest vacuum of the universe. In other words, light or energy persists even where we cannot see it.

Our experience of darkness has more to do with the limits of human perception than with the absence of light. Under ideal conditions, the human eye needs about five to seven photons to detect light. When fewer photons reach our eyes, light may still be present physically, but we cannot perceive it. We name that experience darkness. Seen this way, darkness is not the absence of light; it is the boundary of our vision.

So darkness is not truly dark. It quietly holds light within it.

This scientific insight opens a powerful spiritual reflection. In human life, darkness often becomes a metaphor for suffering, uncertainty, grief, and despair. Yet if there is no absolute darkness in the universe, perhaps there is no situation entirely devoid of hope. Light may be present even when we cannot yet see it.

The psalmist expresses this truth with striking clarity:
“Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day” (Psalm 139:12).

What appears dark to us is never dark to God. God sees light where we see only pain, possibility where we see only loss. When we rely solely on our limited understanding, darkness can overwhelm us. But when we trust that light is present—even beyond our perception—we begin to live with courage and hope.

Because darkness is not truly dark, we need not fear it. If we look patiently and attentively, especially with the eyes of faith, we may discover that light has been present all along.

What part of your life feels dark right now?
Can you hold it gently, trusting that light is already there, waiting to be seen?

Notes

Greene, B. (2011). The Hidden Reality. Knopf.

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Darkness Is Not Dark.

Explore this theme in three different formats—each offering a unique way to reflect and engage:

📄 Article: https://lifespring-wholeness.blogspot.com/2026/01/darkness-is-not-dark.html

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God of Many Faces

Most of us grow up within a single, largely homogeneous culture. This shared context gives us language, rituals, beliefs, and a sense of belonging. Such rootedness is often essential for stability and growth. Yet, when we remain confined within familiar boundaries, we may unintentionally close ourselves off from the richness that other cultures, traditions, and experiences offer.

Over time, this limitation can quietly turn into distance, suspicion, or even fear of those who are different from us. What begins as comfort can become separation. When differences are misunderstood, they may be perceived as threats rather than gifts. 

A deeper spiritual reflection invites us to see otherwise. God is not a God of one face, one culture, or one expression. God is a God of many faces, present in all people and revealed through diverse histories, temperaments, and ways of being. Franciscan friar Richard Rohr captures this truth beautifully: 

“The fact that God has given us so many different faces and temperaments and emotions and histories shows us how God honors each unique journey and culture. God is not threatened by differences. It’s we who are.”

From the very beginning, Scripture affirms this diversity as sacred. “God created humankind in God’s image” (Genesis 1:27)—not a single image, but a shared reflection spread across humanity. Each person reveals something unique about God’s nature: compassion, strength, tenderness, resilience, wisdom, creativity.

Throughout history, God has been at work in people of different cultures, times, and backgrounds—women and men who, in their own contexts, reflected divine love. To say that God has many faces is not to divide God, but to recognize the fullness of God revealed through human diversity. Perhaps this is why Jesus prayed so earnestly for unity: “That they may all be one” (John 17:21). Unity, here, is not sameness. It is a communion that honors difference while holding all together in love.

In a world where fear and self-interest often exploit differences to divide, God gently invites us to look again—to recognize God’s face in every person. When we do so, we move from suspicion to solidarity, from fear to reverence.

For God is, indeed, a God of many faces—and every face is intrinsically holy.

 Notes

Rohr, R. (2003). Everything belongs: The gift of contemplative prayer. A Crossroad Book. 

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God of Many Faces

Explore this theme in three different formats—each offering a unique way to reflect and engage: 

📄 Article: https://lifespring-wholeness.blogspot.com/2026/01/god-of-many-faces.html

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Life Is Larger Than Death

Have you ever allowed yourself to think about death—not with fear, but with quiet curiosity? For many, death is a subject wrapped in anxiety and avoidance. Yet, when approached gently, it also reveals itself as a profound mystery. Perhaps we cannot truly understand life unless we are willing to sit, even briefly, with the reality of death. Are life and death really opposites, or is that a misunderstanding born of fear?

The Christian funeral liturgy offers a consoling truth: “Life is not ended with death; it is merely changed.” These words do not deny grief, but they gently widen our horizon. Interestingly, science echoes this same wisdom. Physics reminds us that at the deepest level, everything—living and non-living alike—is energy. And energy does not disappear; it only changes form. In this shared insight, spirituality and science converge, pointing to the same reality: death is not the end of life.

Death, then, is not the opposite of life. It is only the opposite of birth. Life itself is far greater than any single beginning or ending. We do not bring life into existence simply by being here; rather, we exist because life already flows through us. Life was before us, life sustains us now, and life will continue beyond us. Death has no final authority over life.

From a Franciscan heart, this truth feels natural. God is Life. There can be no other source. And if God is life, what power could possibly extinguish God? Death is not annihilation but transformation—a passage into another way of being held by the same divine love. People are born, people die, yet Life continues.

Perhaps this is why Saint Francis could name death Sister, not enemy. When fear loosens its grip and trust deepens, death loses its terror. It becomes a doorway rather than a wall. On the other side of that doorway, Life—larger, deeper, and unbroken—continues in God.

Life Is Larger Than Death Explore this theme in three different formats—each offering a unique way to reflect and engage: 📄 Article: https://lifespring-wholeness.blogspot... 🎧 Audio:    • Life Is Larger Than Death (Audio)   🎥 Video:    • Life Is Larger Than Death   

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Joy Begins with Presence

Presence is more than simply being there. It is a way of attending—to God, to ourselves, and to others—that gently opens the heart to a deep and lasting joy. Psychology, Scripture, and spiritual wisdom all point to the same truth: when our scattered attention is gathered into the present moment, joy becomes not something we chase, but something we receive.

Being present to God lies at the heart of spiritual joy. Scripture reminds us, “In your presence there is fullness of joy”(Psalm 16:11). This joy is not excitement or emotional comfort; it is a quiet gladness that flows from staying with God. Simple practices such as silent prayer, meditative reading of Scripture, or repeating a short prayer—“Lord Jesus Christ, you are with me”—help us rest in God here and now. Christian tradition calls this practicing the presence of God, a way of living that offers courage in suffering and a joy not dependent on circumstances.

Being present to oneself is equally important. Psychology shows that gentle awareness of the present moment reduces emotional reactivity and increases well-being. When we notice our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations with compassion, we become less ruled by fear and more open to simple joys. For Christians, this is not self-absorption but honest self-awareness before God. Like the Psalmist, we bring our whole heart—joy and pain alike—into prayer, trusting that nothing within us is outside God’s care.

Being present to others completes the circle. Henri Nouwen spoke of the ministry of presence as the willingness to be with others without trying to fix or explain. This kind of attentive, nonjudgmental presence can be deeply healing. Psychology affirms this wisdom: genuine, empathic relationships are among the strongest sources of human happiness, and such care is communicated less through advice and more through undivided attention.

Joy, then, is not something we pursue directly. It grows quietly as we learn to stay—present to God who loves us, to our own hearts with compassion, and to others with humble attention. Where presence deepens, joy begins.

Presence is the soil where joy quietly grows.

 

Notes

Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and psychological well-being.
https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2003_BrownRyan.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2012). What are the benefits of mindfulness?
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner

Nouwen, H. J. M. (2009). The healing power of presence. Shalem Institute.
https://shalem.org/2009/01/14/the-healing-power-of-presence-a-visit-with-henri-nouwen/

The Gospel Coalition. (2024). How to find joy in God’s presence.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-to-find-joy-in-gods-presence/

Well-Watered Women. (2023). Rejoicing in God’s presence.
https://wellwateredwomen.com/rejoicing-in-gods-presence/

Joy Begins With Presence.

Explore this theme in three different formats—each offering a unique way to reflect and engage:

📄 Article: https://lifespring-wholeness.blogspot.com/2026/01/joy-begins-with-presence.html

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God Is Not Out There

When Friar Richard Rohr was living at the hermitage in Kentucky, there was an ex-abbot who had chosen the life of a recluse. A recluse is a hermit’s hermit—one who lives deep in the forest and comes to the community only on rare occasions such as Christmas or Easter. The rest of the time, the recluse remains in solitude, connected with himself, nature, and God.

One day, as Rohr was walking along a trail near the hermitage, he saw the recluse returning from the forest. Not wanting to intrude upon his silence, Rohr bowed his head and stepped aside. The recluse, however, stopped and said to him, “You get to preach, and I don’t. When you preach, just tell the people one thing: God is not ‘out there’.” Then he walked on.

Those words left a deep impression on Rohr’s heart.

To say that God is not “out there” is to say that God does not reside somewhere outside of us, outside of nature, or outside of the universe. God is in here, right now—within us, within creation, and within the whole cosmos. Because of this, we are sacred. Our bodies are sacred. Nature and the universe are sacred.

If we have eyes to see, we realize that this is precisely what Jesus came to reveal: the union of the sacred and the human, the sacred and the body, the sacred and the material—symbolized in the wheat and the wine—and the sacred and the universe itself. God is not distant. God is present.

Yet we often push God “out there”—beyond ourselves, beyond our bodies, beyond the world we inhabit. When we do this, we lose sight of the belovedness with which we were created. The body can begin to feel like a burden or even something to escape. Nature becomes something to exploit. The material world feels empty of holiness. But the truth remains: God is here. God is Emmanuel—God with us.

Recognizing this is a journey. To awaken to God’s presence in ourselves, in others, and in the universe takes time. If God were not here, nothing could exist. As Scripture reminds us, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). May we open our inner eyes to see the God who dwells within.

The spiritual journey is not about going farther, but going deeper.

Notes

Rohr, Richard. Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer. New York: Crossroad, 2003, p. 90.

God Is Not Out There 

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📄 Article: https://lifespring-wholeness.blogspot.com/2025/12/god-is-not-out-there.html

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Christmas: The End of Separation

 

The event of Christmas breaks the perceived duality between the divine and the human. Across cultures and religious traditions, God is often understood as distant—above, beyond, and separate from human life. Christmas, however, reveals a far deeper and more intimate truth about the human–divine relationship.

At the heart of Christmas is the proclamation that “the Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14). God does not merely visit humanity but fully enters into human reality. As Friar Richard Rohr reflects, in Jesus the duality between the divine and the human is abolished—not by erasing distinction, but by rejecting separation. Rohr emphasizes that Jesus “makes visible the hiding place of God,” revealing that human life itself becomes the place where the mystery of divine–human union is disclosed. In Jesus Christ, divinity and humanity are shown to be one inseparable reality. The divine cannot be detached from the human life of Jesus; together they form a single, unified existence. Thus, in Christ, the long-standing split between God and humanity collapses.

This union is not meant to remain exclusive to Jesus. Scripture affirms that Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). To call Christ “firstborn” implies relationship—we are not outsiders but younger siblings, invited into the same pattern of life. Jesus is not the exception; he is the exemplar.

Jesus himself points toward this shared destiny when he says, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30), and prays “that they may all be one… as we are one” (John 17:21). He goes even further by echoing Scripture: “You are gods” (John 10:34; cf. Psalm 82:6). These passages reveal a profound truth: God is not external to human life but intimately present within it.

Perhaps our struggle is not God’s absence but our lack of awareness. When we begin to recognize God as dwelling within us, our understanding of God, others, and ourselves shifts fundamentally. Christmas invites us to live from this truth—not as distant seekers, but as participants in the mystery of divine–human communion.

Questions for Reflection

1.     Where do I seek God—outside myself or within my lived experience?

2.     How can I recognize and honor God’s presence in others, especially amid human limitations?

3.     How do I respond to my own limitations, and what helps me live into my deeper human–divine identity?

Notes

Rohr, Richard. Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer. New York: Crossroad, 2003, p. 88.

Rohr, R. (2019). The Universal Christ: How a forgotten reality can change everything we see, hope for, and believe. Convergent Books.

Christmas: The End of Separation

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📄 Article: https://lifespring-wholeness.blogspot.com/2025/12/christmas-end-of-separation.html

🎧 Audio: https://youtu.be/J48g7NzcwCQ

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