Brian Wilcox. 'From Where I Stand~Androscoggin River Series'.
Where is God? Where is God not? But I've never seen God anywhere? You mean, "I've never seen my God anywhere."
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The story goes...
A little boy kept hearing about God at his church. So, he decided he wanted to meet this one everyone seemed so interested in. Based on what he had heard, it seemed it would be a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and started the journey.
When he had walked about three blocks, he met an aged woman. She was sitting in the park staring at pigeons. The boy sat down next to her. He opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink of root beer, when he noticed that the woman looked hungry. The boy offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled to him. Her smile was so beautiful that the boy wanted to see it again. He, therefore, offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. This delighted the boy even more. They sat together all afternoon, eating and smiling, but they never spoke a word.
Near dark, the boy realized how tired he was, and he got up to leave. After a few steps he turned, ran back to the woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile yet.
When the boy opened the door to his home, his mother was surprised by the joyful look on his face. She inquired, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He said, "I had lunch with God." Before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. The look of peace on her face stunned her son. He asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She said, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." Before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."
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We are meeting God all the time, but we either see God or do not see God. We may even miss seeing God, though God is present, for we are looking for an image of God, one given us by others, rather than seeing God as God.
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What is that most essential to see God?
Jesus, in the Beatitudes of the Gospel of Matthew, in the Christian Scriptures, says, "How blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
What is this pure in heart?
A heart open and receptive, a heart of clarity. Seeing God does not depend, finally, on God, but a heart unclouded by expectations, beliefs, and prejudices, so God can appear in the moment as God is, not as we decide God is or was or would be or should be. This is why an atheist or someone without religious belief may be able to see God as readily, or more so, than a theist. When you see God, God will likely be totally unlike what anyone told you God would look like.
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One of the assumptions prevalent is that there is a God and God is somewhere. When, in reality, God is nowhere, but God is and is at many places and everywhere too.
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*The theme of "Lotus of the Heart" is 'Living in Love beyond Beliefs.' This work is presented by Brian K. Wilcox, of Maine, USA. You can order Brian's book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, through major online booksellers.
