On that day you will realize that I am in my Father,
and you are in me, and I am in you.
— John 14:20 (NIV)

What if
that day was today,
and today, I woke up and realized
this is true?

What if
God isn’t hiding behind
church doors,
my best behaviour,
or someone else’s approval.

Love isn’t reserved
for sunset moments
or dreams coming true.

Grace isn’t limited
to repentant hearts,
enlightened moments,
or when we’re at the end of our rope.

What if it’s true that
God is everywhere
intentionally
on purpose
creating,
loving,
nurturing
all of us
all the time?

What if
being inside God
means we can’t be
outside God

and at every moment
of every day,
we are still there–
sleeping in Love’s arms
waking up to Love’s gaze
walking around in Love’s body
and so is everyone else?

Maybe we don’t see it
because we’re looking
for life to be a certain way
as if we know how it should be.

What if
we admitted that we don’t.

What if
we stopped assuming
that life is a journey
to get to the place
where God is finally happy with us
and we’ve finally become
a nicer version of ourselves?

What if
we believed
that God is here
enjoying us
right now?

What if
we saw
everything around us
as gift
from a God smitten with us
just as we are?

What if
the air around us is how
God embraces us on the outside
and each breath we take is
God embracing us on the inside?

What if everything we see, hear, touch, taste and smell
is Love incarnate

and so are we?

If I believed that,
well,
it would certainly change
how I treat myself,
how I treat everything
and everyone.

If I believed that
I think I would
smile more.

We are all on a journey of love into a deeper discovery of God who dwells in every moment and every experience of our life. Finding God in all things and all things in God is a contemplative experience. It isn’t a one-off experience; God dwells in us and we dwell in God. —Sister Anne Arabome 

∗ ∗ ∗

Love Mischief for the World

Sister Anne Arabome has been doing a lot of love mischief with God in the world. I especially appreciate how she makes the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises more accessible for women who struggle to relate to Ignatius, a military man who lived in the sixteenth century, and the language he used. Sister Anne sees the heart of what Ignatius offers us. She helps us learn what it means to listen to and honour our stories. She hears Ignatius inviting us to find God in our lives and find ourselves in God, where we are free to receive love and offer love in our unique ways.

What love mischief are you and God doing for the world?
Let me know and I will include it in an upcoming post.

Credits and References: “Joy Is Measurable” by Funkybug. Used with permission.
Poem “If I Believed That” by Esther Hizsa, 2023.
“Cat-Bliss” by Etolane. Used with permission.

© Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim, 2023.
The unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without permission from Esther Hizsa is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided there is a link to the original content and credit is given as follows: © Esther Hizsa, An Everyday Pilgrim 2013-2023.  http://www.estherhizsa.com