A simple prayer of recognition:
I am forgetful.
Because I lose track of who you are, God,
I lose track of who I am.
Two things help me remember who I am (and to pray); action and the outdoors (it is amazing how my sense of self changes when both are in play).
Action (movement) is often what helps me remember, especially when compared to inactivity. Moving gets me going. Going helps me remember what I need to keep in mind.
The outdoors has unique qualities that seem to speak to my being. They remind of an order to things that helps me see my rightful size and place more accurately.
If looking down is primarily an attempt to understand how I’m doing, looking outward helps me understand where I am. Looking up seems to lead to an understanding of who I am.
We could all probably benefit from spending more time looking up and out than looking down (especially since our version of looking down is primarily more about comparison, in the context of social media, than it is about true self understanding).
This observation helps me connect some of the dots about the source of my connection to the pieces I encounter in the universe God created (continues to create) and who I am in it:
Reverence does not happen once per week; it is practiced each day faithfully, moment by moment. It is acknowledging that we are dependent on the systems of life.
-- Sarah Augustine