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1 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
*Psalm 8.1 (NLT)
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Consider the possibility of enjoying more the sacred normality of life. Grace is shining everywhere! See it! Here! Now! In that face of a stranger you meet in the grocery store. In that bird resting on a limb in your yard, and in the sound of the flowing brook as you walk and breathe deeply, smiling alone with the Alone. In the face of that man or woman you love, fuss with, and laugh with, a Wonderful Presence is looking out at you.
God is meeting you, yes, you, in the dancing, in the crying, too. God is in the losses, the gains, of ordinary life, Now, Here, Always. God is fully present in enjoyment of the newborn child, or witnessing the dying of someone we love dearly.
In the feel of the cool breeze as you walk in the early evening, God whispers your name, “My Friend, My Love.” In the eyes of that dog, cat, or bird you share life with, there is This Love. In the look of that man or woman you see when you stand in front of a mirror in the morning—even if you have not put on makeup or shaved that beard—Spirit is smiling and calling you by your True Name.
I am amazed at how many persons say they have never met God! Grace is oozing out every pore of this wonderful world, and we do not meet God in every moment? Odd?
So, here is a suggestion. God is so wonderfully, gloriously, immediately present, you and I simply cannot believe it. How could the Lord of the Universe be here, in just this way, in this ordinary moment, at this time, here?
Let us do a No Additives exercise, to appreciate how wonderful “just as” is. We need this in a culture of additives and more-and-more to spice up life. Remember, a principle of the spiritual journey: Less is more (Simplicity).
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So, how about choosing one of these, or more than one, or each on different days?
1.Prepare a dish of food without any spices or other additives. For example, if you have squash, just have squash as squash. Mindfully, with appreciation, put the squash in your mouth, chew slowly, feel the texture, appreciate all it took to get that squash to your taste buds, even saying a simple “Thank You,” if you wish: the soil, rain, farmers, store personnel, truck driver, …. See, this is just as, plain life. Appreciate the food as is; you may discover that the taste is just-as-okay, wonderful.
2.Go and sit outside in a chair. Just sit. Do not intend to do anything but this, letting the world and your reverence for it be a Prayer of Silent Engagement:
a.Experience your breathing as breathing.
b.Experience sound as sound.
c.Experience scent as scent.
d.Experience flavor as flavor.
e.Experience touch as touch.
f.Experience sight as sight.
3.Just drive to work. Do not turn on the radio, a CD, or talk on the phone. Do not sing. Do not do anything but be fully in the process of driving. Appreciate the journey.
4.When you go walking, leave that headset and, also, phone at home - or put it on vibrate. Just walk, and do as in the second exercise above. Be with the walk, as a senses-sensational experience. Just walking as another creature blessed to be here on the earth is sacred worship.
Remember, Christ is “Emmanuel,” God with us, God beside us, or God in us. We can practice the joy of “just” being with God, too. Life offers us opportunity daily to live this life as a Sacred Journey of Grace, Beauty, and Love in the Here, Now, In Love with I AM.
God, my Love,
Peering out one Moment,
A Window woven into this world, I hear,
Brian, guess what? …
I AM Here!
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*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in continuing his ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of spiritual love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers or the Cokesbury on-line store, cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox, a United Methodist Pastor, lives in Southwest Florida. He is a vowed member of Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and seeks to inspire others to enjoy a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused, experiential Christianity and renewal of the Church through addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons.
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