Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The God who stays

For those of us who are apt to conduct our lives and relationships, especially our relationship with God, based on how we feel, this is a good word:

Reality is what we notice on the surface – what we feel or see, what superficial perspectives we might gain, for example, from television’s evening news. Truth is much larger. It encompasses everything that genuinely is going on.
The reality might be that our world looks totally messed up, that war and economic chaos seem to control the globe. [I would add environmental breakdown.] But the truth is much deeper – that Jesus Christ is still (since His ascension) Lord of the cosmos, and the Holy Spirit is empowering many people to work for peacemaking and justice building as part of the Trinity’s purpose to bring the universe to its ultimate wholeness.
The reality might be that you do not feel God, but the truth is that God is always present with you, perpetually forgiving you, and unceasingly caring for you with extravagant grace and abundant mercy. Not only that, but the very process of dealing with our lack of feelings and our resultant doubts about God is one of the ways by which our trust in the Trinity is deepened. – Being Well When We’re Ill by Marva Dawn. P. 30

1 comment:

jenni said...

I rely on my feelings way too much - thank you for this excellent word. I've been meaning to read her books....