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Gentian (2)
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens; Boothbay, ME
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No one will need to say, "See, it's over here" or "See, it's over there." For, look, the Reign of God is all around [within; within and among] you.
*Gospel of Luke 17.21
And intimacy with the LORD's glory [effulgence, brilliance, brightness] will be everywhere on Earth, as the sea is full of waters.
*Habbakuk 2.14
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A seeker said to the Sage, "I've been praying and meditating, searching for God for years. Can you help me?" Said the Sage, "God is in the seeking for God. To long for the taste of Love, Love whets the appetite. Once you realize this, what need is there for the search?"
*Brian K. Wilcox. "Meetings with an Anonymous Sage."
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The Way transforms how we see. How we see usually excludes most of reality. This transformed seeing does not mean we necessarily see things we did not before, but we see differently. We see what was obvious, but we failed to perceive it.
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A Jewish story tells of a poor, God-fearing Jew in Prague. He dreamt he should journey to Vienna. He would find buried treasure at the base of a bridge leading to the royal palace. Nightly, the dream recurred. So, he left his family behind and traveled to Vienna. The king's soldiers guarded the bridge day and night. The man spent hours daily pacing back and forth across the bridge, hoping for a chance to unearth the treasure.
After two weeks, a guard grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and demanded gruffly, "Jew! What are you plotting? Why do you keep returning to this place daily?" The poor man blurted out about the dream. When he finished, the soldier, who had been containing his joy, broke into uncontrollable laughter.
The poor Jew looked astonished, not knowing what to make of the soldier's levity. Finally, the guard caught his breath and stopped long enough to say, "What a foolish Jew you are to believe in dreams. If I let visions guide my life, I would be well on my way to Prague. For last night I dreamt a poor Jew in that city has a treasure awaiting discovery, buried in his cellar."
The Jewish man hurried back home to Prague. He dug in his cellar, and there was the treasure. Upon reflection, he thought, "The treasure was always here. Yet, I had to travel to Vienna to know it."
Since all we need spiritually is here and now, why do we seem to need to go on a search to discover it? Is the search essential? Explain. Above, Scripture speaks of the "Reign of God" and the "glory of the LORD" - how do you refer to the "treasure"?
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*©Brian K. Wilcox, 2022.
*Use of photography is allowed accompanied by credit given to Brian K. Wilcox and notation of title and place of the photograph.
*Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major online booksellers or the publisher AuthorHouse.
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