Thursday, December 15, 2005 at 1:01am
Learning how to see the divine by watching God move in the world
Column: God Said What?
I think I saw God the other day.
No, I'm not Moses. Not by a long shot. Just my college days are, by themselves, enough to kick me off the ledge of righteousness. And I don't think that I was hallucinating.
But you know, I think I may have seen God moving. And it wasn't in church, although I know God is there too. It was out in the world, where things are messy and chaotic.
Speaking of messy, there's a drawback to just talking about this. You see, the problem with using language to talk about the divine is that we always fall short. God is perfect, we're not. We will never be able to describe God perfectly with an imperfect tool.
It's just something to keep in mind. This doesn't mean that we are unable to know or describe God and it doesn't mean that we shouldn't try. With some care, we can do a pretty good job at it. In fact, we were designed to do this.
So let me try this again.
For lack of a better way to say it, I think I saw God moving.
I didn't actually see an apparition or a burning bush. Maybe somebody else has seen such things, but definitely not me. It's just that all of a sudden, everything clicked into place and the world looked slightly different.
It's difficult to see God's movements
I know. There is another little problem. So how in the heck do we figure out how God moves in the world?
Well, we can't literally "see" God in the world. There may be some who can, but I think that most of us have difficulty with this concept. We can't see God because there is a separation between God and humankind. This is not how life was meant to be, but that's a topic for another column.
Still, if we work at it and understand how God tends to move in the world, we can sometimes discern His presence. We can perceive God's movements. Really.
And to begin to see it, we should be open to God moving in our lives, although outside of our own understanding.
Let me give you an example.
Several years ago, I had drifted away from the Catholic Church and remained furious with God and Christianity. If you would have walked up to me then and told me that I'd come back to God through the non-denominational Christian Church in Seattle, I would have laughed. Then, if you would have told me that I'd enroll in a Catholic seminary in Chicago, get engaged, and write this column, I might have thrown a beer in your face.
I wasn't expecting God to move like this in my life. In truth, I didn't have much use for God to be moving in my life.
My, how things change.
When you look for God to move, be prepared for the unexpected. And don't be surprised if God's wake carries you along.
As Stephen Bevans, Professor of Mission and Culture at Catholic Theological Union, writes, "The only place where God can reveal God's self truly and effectively is within the human experience."
"Revelation, in other words, is only revelation... when men and women are actually attending to the fact that God is always pouring love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit."
It should be reassuring that we don't have to go anywhere in particular to find God. God is already here. God's spirit surrounds us in the world. God wants us to seek Him.
God wants to change us
Just don't expect this to be easy. It's not supposed to be.
That's because God wants to change us.
We have to understand that finding God is not at all like meeting a person on the street. The reason for this is because an encounter with God is supposed to be transforming. No matter how tiny or insignificant the moment, God intends to challenge us and change us any time we meet. Not once or twice, but every time.
To me, this sounds a little scary. I'm completely happy with not changing.
I'm not sure, however, that not changing is a good idea. I'm 25; I'm young, but no longer a child. If I make the effort to look for God's movement, I should try to follow it. If I follow God's movement, I'm going to be challenged. This means that I'm going to be confronted with the darker parts of my soul.
I may even get mad.
But anger isn't the problem, nor is difficulty. There's a saying about anger. The problem isn't that you get angry; the problem is that you don't get angry when you should.
Part of the price for pursuing God is discomfort. It means we have to fight our own worst instincts.
Following God's movement, though, is worth it. There is no greater wonder.
———
Kevin Considine is a graduate student at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL and sometimes a writer. He recently got engaged to a wonderful woman who keeps him in line and reads his columns to see if they make sense. He can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © copyright 2005 by Kevin Considine.
— — —
UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum is a big tent for all expressions
of faith and spirituality, neither excluding nor favoring any.
All opinions expressed belong to the writer alone, and are
not necessarily shared by UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum.
No, I'm not Moses. Not by a long shot. Just my college days are, by themselves, enough to kick me off the ledge of righteousness. And I don't think that I was hallucinating.
But you know, I think I may have seen God moving. And it wasn't in church, although I know God is there too. It was out in the world, where things are messy and chaotic.
Speaking of messy, there's a drawback to just talking about this. You see, the problem with using language to talk about the divine is that we always fall short. God is perfect, we're not. We will never be able to describe God perfectly with an imperfect tool.
It's just something to keep in mind. This doesn't mean that we are unable to know or describe God and it doesn't mean that we shouldn't try. With some care, we can do a pretty good job at it. In fact, we were designed to do this.
So let me try this again.
For lack of a better way to say it, I think I saw God moving.
I didn't actually see an apparition or a burning bush. Maybe somebody else has seen such things, but definitely not me. It's just that all of a sudden, everything clicked into place and the world looked slightly different.
I know. There is another little problem. So how in the heck do we figure out how God moves in the world?
Well, we can't literally "see" God in the world. There may be some who can, but I think that most of us have difficulty with this concept. We can't see God because there is a separation between God and humankind. This is not how life was meant to be, but that's a topic for another column.
Still, if we work at it and understand how God tends to move in the world, we can sometimes discern His presence. We can perceive God's movements. Really.
And to begin to see it, we should be open to God moving in our lives, although outside of our own understanding.
Let me give you an example.
Several years ago, I had drifted away from the Catholic Church and remained furious with God and Christianity. If you would have walked up to me then and told me that I'd come back to God through the non-denominational Christian Church in Seattle, I would have laughed. Then, if you would have told me that I'd enroll in a Catholic seminary in Chicago, get engaged, and write this column, I might have thrown a beer in your face.
I wasn't expecting God to move like this in my life. In truth, I didn't have much use for God to be moving in my life.
My, how things change.
When you look for God to move, be prepared for the unexpected. And don't be surprised if God's wake carries you along.
As Stephen Bevans, Professor of Mission and Culture at Catholic Theological Union, writes, "The only place where God can reveal God's self truly and effectively is within the human experience."
"Revelation, in other words, is only revelation... when men and women are actually attending to the fact that God is always pouring love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit."
It should be reassuring that we don't have to go anywhere in particular to find God. God is already here. God's spirit surrounds us in the world. God wants us to seek Him.
Just don't expect this to be easy. It's not supposed to be.
That's because God wants to change us.
We have to understand that finding God is not at all like meeting a person on the street. The reason for this is because an encounter with God is supposed to be transforming. No matter how tiny or insignificant the moment, God intends to challenge us and change us any time we meet. Not once or twice, but every time.
To me, this sounds a little scary. I'm completely happy with not changing.
I'm not sure, however, that not changing is a good idea. I'm 25; I'm young, but no longer a child. If I make the effort to look for God's movement, I should try to follow it. If I follow God's movement, I'm going to be challenged. This means that I'm going to be confronted with the darker parts of my soul.
I may even get mad.
But anger isn't the problem, nor is difficulty. There's a saying about anger. The problem isn't that you get angry; the problem is that you don't get angry when you should.
Part of the price for pursuing God is discomfort. It means we have to fight our own worst instincts.
Following God's movement, though, is worth it. There is no greater wonder.
———
Kevin Considine is a graduate student at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL and sometimes a writer. He recently got engaged to a wonderful woman who keeps him in line and reads his columns to see if they make sense. He can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © copyright 2005 by Kevin Considine.
UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum is a big tent for all expressions
of faith and spirituality, neither excluding nor favoring any.
All opinions expressed belong to the writer alone, and are
not necessarily shared by UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum.