Within…

Day Five in our search for God in the public square…

So, how do we pick up the ball? Well, we stop looking for the holy ground, hoping we’ll stumble upon it, and we acknowledge we’re standing on it. Burning bushes are not so much outside of us, as they are within! Moses was already enraged over the captivity of his people. God slowly brought that rage to the front, molded it, fashioned it, and then sent him.

But notice something first. God did a lot of back and forth with Moses before sending him, and why? Because there were things hindering Moses. God cared about those hindrances, because God cared for Moses.

Once we pick up the ball, God will turn the lights on within us, so to speak, and head right for the things that we’d rather not look at. Some popular theologies call this self-centeredness. God calls it a relationship.

Do you have unhealed wounds? Are you mean to yourself or others? Are you unfaithful? Do you lie? Are you aware that refusing to deal with your own wounds often means you smear the consequences of those wounds upon all those around you? I did for a long, long time, until I picked up the ball.

“Come away for a time,” God told Moses.

Let’s keep that ball in hand and follow God. First things first.

Reflection

A lot of scoffing at “God and the world!” is a distraction from the wounds we carry, the ones that cause our insecurities, our prejudices, our arrogance, our fears. Where might God head within you? Will you let God lead you there?

Prayer

Dear God, for sure, I don’t want You picking at what makes me so volatile, so afraid, so judgmental. Help me to imagine what my life could be, though, without all that! How much better could I see? Help me to set aside the time to see where You are headed within me. Then, I’ll see all that’s around me in a new light. Amen.