God is in all creation–including us–just by virtue of the fact that we were created by God and of God. In the beginning, there wasn’t anything else but God to create us with. We were made in the image of God, and God is in every cell of our being.
What would it be like to trust that God is in every person, with them in all that they do, loving them and working for their good, whether they are aware of it or not?
What would it be like to believe that about ourselves?
When I trust that God is in every person and actively working in their lives, I am more able to let go of judgment, less quick to give advice, and less focused on what they might be doing wrong. A humility emerges: I don’t know what they need to be whole. I don’t know what being whole looks like for them. I wonder what God envisions as God continues to transform them.
When I trust that God is in every person, I have more space for who they are right now. Forgiveness comes more readily. I start looking for where God is active in their lives. Where is new life sprouting? I want to join in what’s taking shape. Often it’s simply by listening and bearing witness to what gives that person joy.
When I trust that God is in me, accomplishing the good work already begun, I am more patient with myself, less judgmental, and less focused on what’s wrong with me.
As I write these words, a sadness comes out of hiding. I feel it in my throat and tears fill my eyes. As I sit with the sadness longer, it tells me its name: Compassion. I make space for Compassion to sit beside me, as I would a friend. She puts her arm around me and invites me to put my head on her chest. She strokes my hair.
I don’t know what I need to be whole either, I tell her.
Shh, she says, It’s okay. God in every cell of your being does.
For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill God’s good purpose. —Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
This week I’d like to honour the love mischief of sexual trauma survivors and their courage to talk about what happened to them. This is for all the “Me Too”s in the world. You are beautiful.
What love mischief are you and God doing to care for the world?
Let me know and I will include it in an upcoming post.
An Everyday Pilgrim 