195: Cultivating a Habitat for Flourishing – A Deeper Cut Series (Part 7)

“If we believe that God made the world, then the world is important as a revelation of God, as a sacred text. If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then we must believe that he is the Son of God made flesh, made a human being—and therefore that the life of the human body in this world is important.”

— Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community by Wendell Berry

Take a moment to breathe. Slow your pace.

Another breath.

Perhaps another. Allow your soul to catch up with your life—even in this very moment.

Another breath.

Enjoy this brilliant poem by Wendell Berry, The Peace of Wild Things. Read it as slowly as you are able:

“When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

The first sacred text given to all of humanity is God’s creation itself. In many ways, the created world was intended to be a sacred container for the Kingdom of God—a primary expression of His presence and love.

What if, just as the Creator crafted this redemptive backdrop for the story of mankind, you were invited to partner with Him in creating your life as a continually expanding spiritual refuge? A place where you are known, loved, perfectly safe, and deeply nourished—affording you an ever-increasing capacity to engage the battles God invites you to fight on behalf of your own heart and those entrusted to your care?

Just as every creature is designed to flourish within a particular habitat, every soul is also meant to thrive in a specific environment. This is our destiny, and this is God’s invitation. A soul planted in good soil has little choice but to grow into the full expression of all it was created to become—since before the foundation of the world.

Even a cursory immersion in the sacred text of nature reveals a profound truth: the health of any living thing is directly tied to the quality of its habitat. When the environment is whole, life flourishes. When it becomes toxic, life withers.

Day by day, decade by decade, we hold far more power than we’ve believed to shape our lives in ways that increase our joy, confidence, and contentment in daily life with God.

It was the prophetic voice of God through Isaiah that offered this invitation:

“My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” — Isaiah 32:18

Make no mistake: this restoration is fiercely opposed. And yet, there is One who is greater. Even now, a perfect invitation is being extended—for you to take the next brave step, the next twenty seconds of courage, to partner with God in restoring a habitat where your soul can truly thrive.

What if the restoration of the masculine soul depends on our willingness to humbly embrace the formative power of our context? What would it look like to recover a way of life that positions us to receive the revitalizing power of God's own life?

Join me as we explore the power and hope of cultivating a habitat where our souls can flourish.

As part of the journey of Becoming a King, this podcast offers a deeper exploration into creating that sacred habitat where this dream can be realized.

It’s all been prologue. The best is yet to come.

For the Kingdom,

Morgan & Cherie