God is everywhere. You cannot get away, no matter how hard you try. You might relate to God as Allah, or Yahweh, or as The Universe, or as Buddha, or whatever. But everybody got a God. Mine is in my intellectual pursuits. I read everything. Everytime, I ask to speak to and hear from God, I get an answer. Today, I pleaded to hear my God speak. No, I didn't go to church. God cannot be contained within the walls of any structure. If you look, you will find God in your own heart and soul, on your front porch, at your desk at the office, in the eyes of your beloved pet, and even in your bathroom. Ask, listen. You will hear. Today God spoke to me in a book I have been meaning to read, and finally picked up today after feeling frustrated that I could not get the rest and peace I sought after a busy week. The book is called, "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.
Another anguished day comes to mind. As I sat at my desk in my office, wrestling inwardly with the issue of that day, my boss walked over and gave me the Fall 2006 issue of "Conversations: A Forum for Authentic Transformation". The feature article was Contemplative Prayer: More Essential Than Esoteric. Contemplative prayer is actually Christian meditation.
This was my first introduction to Conversations. My initial reaction is that this journal is for Christians more inclined toward an individual, highly personal relationship with God. That's me. The target audience, as described by the publishers is "broad—all thoughtful [emphasis, mine], seeking followers of Christ who long for a complete transformation of soul and full restoration of His image within". Never being one that functions well with group think and approaches, it resonated with me.
This journal led me to the book of Matthew in the New Testament that day. I found validation and love in the words of the Son that day. There is so much good in the Bible, but where we err is in the tendency to interpret the Word too literally or out of context, bending it to our particular purposes and not always for the good.
One morning I woke troubled after a restless night. I got up and dressed warmly as it was only 33 degrees F. outside. As I was jogging on my usual 4-mile route, God grabbed me by the heart and squeezed. The joy often attributed to endorphins seized me and took me through the day. Sometimes it is just that, endorphins. But not that day, it was God.
So, you see, God speaks to all, always in ways in which he knows we will hear.
How will you find God today?
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