Musing on Finding God in All Things

Three of us set sail toward the Chesapeake Bay on a friend’s sloop. The sun dances and glistens on the water as we savor the first outing of the season. Oh, how lucky are we to live amid such exquisite beauty, we notice aloud. God shows his face in the moments of perfection in nature.

When we slow down enough to pay attention, we notice how God is around us all the time. Nature is an endless source of wonder. God is the creator of breathtaking mountains and streams, ocean waves and rustling trees, lightning and lunar eclipses. God is the force of nature, the architect of the sun and skies.

God is love—and God is in all things, everywhere and all around us. We recognize God in moments of reflection each day. Through the daily Examen, we can see God’s hand when we gave way to let a car into our traffic lane, and the driver responded with a smile and wave. Only God could have staged the unexpected reunion with a high school classmate. Or we feel God in the news that a dear one’s lab results tested negative. But, as we know, God is not around just for the good stuff.

God is with us in the periods of dark clouds and rainy weekends, the agony of chronic pain, the disappointment of a cancelled work project, and the slow ache of a painful rift. He sees us in the hard conversations, the job loss, the house contract that did not come through, the fender bender, and the negative news from the doctor.

There are times when God speaks with a whisper, a yearning, or even a feeling of discord. God is in the people at work, in the neighbor who confides a problem, in the friend who asks for a favor, and in the smile to the woman in church who looks troubled.

God draws us toward certain activities where our own interests mesh with God’s greatest desires for us. When our tanks are full, God leads us to fill someone else’s. When our heart breaks for a certain cause, or a need lingers, that is God nudging us toward what is ours to do and whom we are called to be.

God’s voice is only as clear as our desire to listen. I must admit there are times when I drift from God’s desires for me. Let’s just say, I am not in a listening mood.

I am agitated, complaining about something. I will get around to you, God, but I am not finished expressing myself, I think.

I feel rushed and focused on the next thing. No time for God? Really?

Must I walk all the way back into the grocery store to scan the item I missed in my cart? Yes, beloved, you know you will.

The closer we draw to Jesus, the clearer we will hear his voice. Hearing God in all things is an opportunity to grow closer and to have an ongoing conversation with the Divine. Through this awareness, we can begin, as in the Spiritual Exercises, and phrased in the day-by-day prayer, to “see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly.”