The experience of receiving bad news, departing from health, or another crisis - personal or shared with others - can have the effect of turning one's vision from color to black and white; or from full surround-sound to mute. Everything is as before all around you. The birds flitter and chirrup, the cars move smoothly down the road, and the postal delivery comes through rain or shine. And yet one's own vision is altered. The reverse is also true: great joy turns up the volume on the music in one's heart; it makes the colors more vivid and the flavors richer.
In the same way, waking up to the abiding presence of God in this creation can similarly alter one's vision. Knowing that God is in us and those around us, through daylight and darkness, in tempest and on fine days, gives some comfort and satisfaction. Suddenly the same old routines, interactions and verbal exchanges take on a precious sweetness or have the effect of a soothing balm. The imagery of a cool drink of water or a healthful meal with others captures this in-filling well-being that comes with the assurance of All is Well.
In Dutch there is an expression for a person busy searching for something, while all the time it was there at hand, somehow overlooked, "hij zoekt zijn paard en hij zit er op" (He's looking for the horse, but he is sitting on it). Perhaps that is the experience of waking up to God's place in the wider world of all centuries, and God's place in our personal worlds, as well: already there, but waiting for each person to open her or his eyes to see the wonder of it all.
In the same way, waking up to the abiding presence of God in this creation can similarly alter one's vision. Knowing that God is in us and those around us, through daylight and darkness, in tempest and on fine days, gives some comfort and satisfaction. Suddenly the same old routines, interactions and verbal exchanges take on a precious sweetness or have the effect of a soothing balm. The imagery of a cool drink of water or a healthful meal with others captures this in-filling well-being that comes with the assurance of All is Well.
In Dutch there is an expression for a person busy searching for something, while all the time it was there at hand, somehow overlooked, "hij zoekt zijn paard en hij zit er op" (He's looking for the horse, but he is sitting on it). Perhaps that is the experience of waking up to God's place in the wider world of all centuries, and God's place in our personal worlds, as well: already there, but waiting for each person to open her or his eyes to see the wonder of it all.
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