Be fair to God

So, I was under the Juniper. It was just me and God. And though I didn’t get all the answers and explanations I went there for, I had to leave. I had to come back out here where turmoil and messiness and downright suffering is still going on. At first, I thought this wasn’t fair; but then I realized I wasn’t being fair to God.

Being under the Juniper is a temporary thing. Its job is to equip us to come back out here with a shifted perspective, one that empowers us to see things not as we did before but — and this is entirely possible — as God sees them. This includes the problems we face, the life we live, the people we deal with. We can see all of that as God sees all of that.

But we err in thinking this new vision comes complete with good feelings and an experiential encounter with God. Minus that, we can forget to really look and see what new insight we have acquired, what grace has brought our way. And if we don’t put forth the concerted, deliberate, and often intense effort that a new insight and skill necessitates, well then, that’s a profound loss, isn’t it?

We don’t come away from God without change. It’s up to us to notice it and decide whether or not we’ll do the work to keep it. Ponder that.

Reflection

How often, in prayer, do I let the absence of feeling different make me miss the fact that I am different, that God has helped me to see a situation, a person, even myself as he does?

Prayer

Dear God, remind me you often work above and below feeling. Build my trust. Help me to leave the Juniper knowing I’m equipped to deal with all things. Help me to know when I ask to see as you see, you do answer, and I must be willing to do what it takes to make that gift a permanent part of me. Amen.