Relationship with God

Shaken and Stirred…

One evening, a long time ago, as a teenager, I was travelling by car with a few friends, when the driver had to jam on the brakes, to avoid an accident. Prior to that moment, there was lots of chatter going on as we drove. However, as the car swerved to stay on the road, narrowly missed a sign that had been to the right of the car, but was now on the left side, and finally screeched to a halt, the noise ceased. In those seconds, it was as if we had shifted into slow motion and were transported into a vacuum, void of all sound. Hearts pounding, we just sat there, recognizing the potential disaster we had escaped. Then, after catching our breaths, we drove on, continuing in silence all the way home. None of us spoke about what had happened.

Throughout life, sometimes events can suddenly thunder into presence of mind, body, and soul. They can do so in such a powerful way that all that is left behind is silence. In chapter 9 of the Gospel according to Mark, the Transfiguration of Jesus is described as both an awesome and frightening experience for the apostles, Peter, James, and John. What transpired, was completely unexpected. In verse 6, Jesus is described as somewhat speechless in terms of how to respond to his companions—“He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.”

Clearly, this event shook the apostles; stopping them in their tracks, and reshaping the manner in which they would receive and respond to what was to come, whether consciously or subconsciously. While it seems fitting that the occurrence would happen on a mountain top, what happened would have been a life altering experience, regardless of where it took place or how it was understood at the time. In the Transfiguration of Jesus, eyes were wide open and seeds were firmly planted.

Oftentimes, the Divine is overlooked, dismissed, forgotten, or left behind simply because it’s easier, more convenient, or perhaps preferred, to believe and hold onto experiences that happen where and how one might expect them to occur. Yet, God is not deterred. On that evening so long ago, I remember being shaken and stirred. I also remember the deafening silence all the way home. And in that, the memory etched… to return, here and there. Only with time, and a lot of it, could I see that God was with us that night.

How patient God is! A reminder of the opportunity that openness to the wisdom of each moment, whether it is here and now, in the past, or yet to come, brings. No matter the locale or the emotions an experience evokes, God is with us, with a desire to take hold, to call us forward, and to help us remember as we do, the wisdom that is all around us.   

Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
“This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant. – Mk 9:2-10

The One I Know…

While running an errand with my son the other day, as we drove along, we were listening to one of his favorite albums, Benefit by Jethro Tull. Despite hearing this album quite often, I am still always struck by the line “I’m going back to the ones that I know, with whom I can be what I want to be,” from the song “With You There to Help Me” sung and written by Ian Anderson. As a parent, I like to think, and I hope and pray, that my children not only know without question, but also will remember that no matter where, or how, they go, they are not alone, and that they can always come back.

In the Gospel according to John, chapter 8, verse 12, it is written, “Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” Jesus does not say whoever follows me from start to finish… whoever follows me in a particular order… whoever follows me, living in a particular way… whoever follows me without blemish. There are no conditions! Anyone and everyone, whoever or wherever they may be, not only can, but is also welcome, to follow Jesus.

Jesus never said, change who you are, and then you can follow me and have the light of life. On the contrary, everything about Jesus says, come as you are, follow me, and you will live. Jesus trusts in the process and allows God to be God.

Jesus encourages us to be our true selves and to let others do the same, too. Jesus knows, and shows it through his words and actions, that whether or not anyone else knows or sees it, each person, is born with goodness in their hearts and unlimited potential. That’s something to follow!

So the Pharisees said to him, “You testify on your own behalf, so your testimony cannot be verified.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony can be verified, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by appearances, but I do not judge anyone. – John 8:13-15

How do we, as individuals and in organizations, nurture and allow ourselves and each other to tap into that potential—the image of God within each of us? In what ways do we give each other the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to help make the world a better place?

TheOneIKnow

Coming Up Hearts…

Over the past few days, gusts of wind have relieved the trees of so many of their leaves. Yet there remains a branch, looking more like a vine, swaying in the wind, holding tight onto its leaves. While the branch seems unremarkable, lacking in the kind of color that captures one’s eye, the leaves are yellow, bringing brightness and light to an otherwise dreary backdrop.

As the wind carries on, and various other leaves fall from the trees, blown every which way, the branch and its yellow leaves remain together. No matter how hard the wind seems to try to strip them away, or apart from each other, through periods of rain and strong winds, it is not happening. They seem determined to stick together as they weather the storm, perhaps just as they did before it arrived. It is as if this branch and its heart-shaped leaves are thoroughly convinced and committed to one another, regardless of all that is, and has been, swirling around them, knowing that, come what may, Love that is true always prevails.

Hanging

Before the Lord the whole universe is as a grain from a balance
or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.
But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;
and you overlook people’s sins that they may repent.
For you love all things that are
and loathe nothing that you have made;
for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.
And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it;
or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?
But you spare all things, because they are yours,
O Lord and lover of souls,
for your imperishable spirit is in all things!
Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little,
warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing,
that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O Lord!

– Wisdom 11:22-12:2

The Cross in Reflection…

The intricate pattern of the cross and its reflection in the mirror called out, as if to say, there are many sides, some smooth… some sharp… some in between, to each and everything under the sun. Also, there are many directions. However, at the center, there is always Truth. The question is whether or not there is a desire to see it. Is there a desire to acknowledge and dwell with it in the presence of all that surrounds it? Is time and space allowed for coming to the place of knowledge from which life truly springs regardless of circumstances?

Cross

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name. – John 20:19-31