God lasts

Isaiah 40:28 God doesn't come and go. God lasts.

I came back to faith when it became clear that nothing that I was putting my trust in was worthy of it because none of it lasted: not love, not work, not happiness, not even misery; none of it lasted. So I came back seeking a faith, a belief in what does last.

The Buddhists would say that nothing lasts, and that is what God is: no thing. God is immaterial: God cannot be touched with the fingers, or seen with the eyes or heard with the ears; the reality of God lies beyond all the material world. And yet the Christian tradition teaches this paradox: we cannot touch, see or hear God, but we can know God, we can experience God. It requires stillness and patience and openness of heart. It requires letting go of our own agenda and surrendering to whatever is in the present moment. It calls us to open our senses and really see, hear and taste what is here with us and then, in a moment, if we are lucky and grace comes upon us, then, in the words of Blanche DuBois, "sometimes there's God, so quickly." For me, God often shows up in tears or laughter, or an overpowering sense of awe. Such moments are a glimpse into the Divine, and they have created such a hunger and thirst in me to know God more closely and intimately, to read and learn about and try to understand the teachings of the mystics about God, as well as the Bible and leaders of the past and present. And so, I came to faith when everything else disappointed me, and thus discovered my passion, my vocation, my true calling, my spiritual path, my life in faith.

Prayer: Dear God, I am so grateful for the hunger and thirst which you have stirred in me, and that drives me to know you more. I am grateful for the path you have brought me to, with all its challenges, and the transformation of the heart which you are working within me. Help me stay focused on what is essential and leave behind all the rest, so that my life may become increasingly devoted to living in Your Presence, and sharing Your Light with the world. Amen.