Sometimes God seems far away. Maybe we’re going through a bad patch, suffering from an illness, a broken relationship or a huge disappointment at work.
Christians believe in St. John’s definition,“God is love,” so we can find God through acts of charity, and learn more about him by studying his handiwork. How do we do this?
First, we can rouse ourselves from streaming videos and social media, and perform an act of sacrificial kindness.
So many ailing and home-bound people never get visitors, and for them, a few minutes of conversation and friendship are a huge gift.
When you see the light in their eyes, you’ll get a glimpse of God, who is hidden in their hearts — and when you feel the joy that comes from unselfish love, you’ll get another inkling of God’s nature.
Not everyone can follow my second suggestion, but it’s a powerful way to give and receive love. Heed the example of kind-hearted people who adopt animals that have many miles on their odometers.
These folks realize they won’t have many years with an elderly Fido or Frisky, but they step out in love anyway.
If you’ve ever seen the way an old dog reacts when he’s led from the shelter to a new home, you’ve witnessed something pretty special. The frantically wagging tail, the pants of pleasure, the sigh that’s emitted, as the old guy settles down in a bed in his new digs.
We become gods to our pets, bestowing upon them companionship and comfort — and the tenderness we feel for them mirrors God’s affection for us, no matter how old or disabled we might be.
Third, we experience God’s closeness to us, when we revel in his handiwork, which is nature. For example, even on a rainy day, I love watching the bluebirds, mockingbirds and finches that crowd the window feeder and gobble down seeds.
These fancy feathery guests are God’s creations, and his way of reminding us that he’s closer than we think. In the book of Daniel, we read: “All you birds of the air, bless the Lord. Praise and exalt him forever.”
Taking a walk also provides a chance to savor God’s creation, but let’s resist the temptation of plugging into an e-book or catching up on the news.
Instead, we can relish the chattering of squirrels, savor the daffodils and perhaps encounter a rabbit scurrying into the underbrush.
Nature is like a big greeting card God sends us every day that reads, “See how much I love you!”
But what about when nature goes awry? In Christian thought, the Latin phrase “Omnia in manu Dei sunt,” tells us everything is in God’s hands, including the weather.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, who wrote “The Yearling,” tended orange groves in Cross Creek, Florida, and learned firsthand how unpredictable nature could be, when early frosts threatened her crop.
Still, she soldiered on, refusing to return to city life because she loved being immersed in nature: “Something is shriveled in a man’s heart when he turns away from the earth and concerns himself only with the affairs of man.”
Finally, prayer can help us experience God’s closeness, and it needn’t be fancy, just “Have mercy on me.”
If you’re having trouble praying, you’re not alone, since even the disciples needed instruction. And the Lord’s prayer is the ultimate Christian petition, coming directly from the lips of Christ.
When we live through a stretch of gray skies, we miss the sun, but we never doubt that it’s still there.
And even when life brings us a stretch of suffering and God seems far away, he is still there. Scripture assures us, “Behold I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Lorraine’s email address is lorrainevmurray@yahoo.com
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