Seeing God in the Now...

"Embrace the present moment as an ever-flowing source of holiness."
Jean Pierre de Caussade SJ, as quoted by Richard Rohr, 11/19/17

As I reflect on a new year, I can't help but contemplate the "Now" I am currently living. For so long I lived for the future--the next weekend, or summer, or holiday time or when I could retire. Too often, my thoughts were focused more on the future and what it held. Now, I think I can finally say, I am living more in the Now.  I am living the life I yearned for as I counted down Mondays while working for ICBVI. Now, I feel, I am living in the Now I dreamed about for so long. Richard Rohr quotes Jean Pierre de Caussade's book, "Abandonment to Divine Providence," referring to the "sacrament of the present moment." How often do we think of our present situation as a sacrament? It's easier now that I'm retired, but I am still working a job with little kids and there are times when it doesn't feel that holy at all! Richard Rohr says living in the present moment is what is meant by living in the presence of God. God is in the present moment, no matter what is happening. We can look back and reflect on seeing God in the past, what if we just take a deep breath and realize that God is also fully in the present moment. Even as the little first grader, whose fingers are too often in his nose, interrupts reading group to ask, "Can I touch your hair?" The absurdity of the present moment doesn't mean God isn't there--it just means God has a sense of humor! As we are heading into another weekend (there's that future again!) let's take time to think about one special moment--Now. Let's pause, breathe deeply, and thank God for the current sixty seconds we are experiencing. Let's see God in the Now. Love, heidi

Quiet, pondering...

"It takes time to separate the strands of conformity and call, time to see where God's persistent longing is leading us."
Rachelle Linner, "Give Us This Day"

Wait, God's longing for us? I thought it was all about our longing for God? God gives us the deep longing to do what we are to do and the buck stops there, right?  But I love  pondering the truth that God longs deeply for us to "separate the strands of conformity and call." Beautiful, that. It's not always (or is it ever?) a clear-cut answer, how we are to serve God. Sometimes we may be invited to make a big change and uproot to a new place. Other times, we are to find how to serve in the midst of our current living situation. But the idea that God is longing for us to go deep and figure that out is stunning. How do we know we have made the choice that God is longing for us to make? I was told once in Spiritual Direction that we are gifted with a peace within when we are where we belong, doing what we are beckoned to do. A peace fills us, and while it doesn't completely smooth out our road, we are given what we need to traverse the road. Today, as we approach mid-January, let's take some quiet time to separate the strands, in our own lives, between conformity and call. Are we being called to something new? Is God longing for us to do something different? Is God calling us to a deeper peace than may be available if we are just plodding through life? Unplug and light a candle to pray about this...these winter nights are perfect for quiet, pondering prayer! Love, heidi