details

Papal Visit Countdown --9 weeks to go!

The devil is not in the details...God is. Have you ever stopped to take a really close look at something along a path that you were walking on? You’ll find microcosms of life on every little toadstool!

And to think--God created and keeps track of every single facet of life in our universe! Wow! Why do I ever worry?

I believe our loving God gives us windows of wonder and beauty, both great and small, all along life’s journey, as a reassuring sign that He is paying very close attention, even to the tiniest details of our lives.

If the God who created all of these miniature ecoscapes can keep up with everything He makes...I have faith that He can also keep me together. I agree with the Psalmist when he states: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, far too lofty for me to reach.” Psalm 139:6

St. Teresa of Avila, the great saint of prayer, encourages us to pray constantly, all along life’s pathways. How does she say we are to do this? Not by “praying,” as we may think of prayer: heads bowed, eyes closed, reciting a list of our desires or a prayer we may have memorized and are able to recite. Instead, we are to attune our daily lives to our heart’s deepest desire (God) and allow this to rise to the surface of our consciousness throughout the day.

Teresa encourages us to “turn away from our preoccupations for a moment and give attention to Christ and glance in His direction. Eventually, our gaze will become more consistent and our listening to the divine will be more sensitive, even in the midst of our daily concerns. This sense of Christ’s abiding presence while walking through life’s passages is truly a gift…” writes Wayne Simsic in The Inward Path to God, p.56.

He continues: “We may consider our lives mundane and our difficulties not worth sharing, but as a practice, Teresa suggests that we trust that Jesus is interested in whatever preoccupies us and that his eyes look with compassion on whatever we are doing…’If you are joyful, look at Him as risen...If you are experiencing trials or are sad, behold Him on the way to the garden’ (Way of Perfection 26.4,5). According to Teresa, Christ will be there for us no matter what our circumstances or daily preoccupations; we only need to glance in His direction.”

So glance at Him, and take heart. The God whose hand can be seen in the tiniest of the tiny details all around you, is also very interested in the everyday “grit and grind” along your path. He will show you Himself and give you direction for the great and small if you will turn your glance heavenwards.

If you would like to read about a time when I needed clarity on my path and how God graciously answered this prayer--Click HERE to read chapter 4, “The Way” in Metamorphosis of a Soul.

The God of the infinite as well as the finite, showed me in great detail, the path I was to walk. Be not afraid, His loving gaze is on you too.

Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7

Dear Lord,

Thank You that You are a God of details and that You are interested in the tiniest aspects of my life. I pray that You will make me conscious of Your presence in big and small ways as I walk along life’s journey. Help me to glance at You throughout the day and as I do, please increase my desire for You and my sensitivity for the ways and presence of You. Please make the path that you desire for me to take to be very clear, even if it is only one step at a time. May I follow in the Saint’s footsteps, ever closer and closer to You, the God of great details and love.

I ask this in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.