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Wandering from God has its own lessons
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By Mary Regina Morrell
"God is not detached from or indifferent to our joys and griefs. Authentic vital needs of man's body and soul are a divine concern. This is why human life is holy." Abraham Joshua Heschel
It was a little boy at the beach who reminded me that being lost is an awful experience. I watched him playing in the surf directly opposite his family's blanket and beach chairs. Little by little the waves pulled him unwittingly to the right until, when he finally came out of the water, he could not find his place on the beach. He had lost sight of his "marker" -- the brightly striped umbrella -- and soon the fear of being lost and alone engendered panic in his little heart. He began to run frantically in one direction and then another, the fear in his eyes quickly replaced by a steady stream of tears. Soon, he was yelling frantically for his parents as he became paralyzed in a sea of unknown faces, his voice charged with fear, then with anger, then with pleading.
His mother, who had kept a loving, watchful eye on him the whole time, was at his side in only a few seconds but it must have seemed like an eternity to the child. She embraced him and wiped his face but reminded him also of the importance of paying attention so as not to get caught up in the waves.
Watching the encounter made me think of how we are so much like that little child when it comes to our relationship with God.
In this world, so filled with distractions and occasions for sin, it is easy to drift from our spiritual path and lose sight of the "markers" God has made available for our benefit -- Scripture, Sacraments, tradition, the face of Christ in those around us. We lose sight of the truth that "the whole word is full of God" (Isaiah 6:3) and so full of the markers that would lead us on to our true home.
We are enticed by the creations of our own hands, our surplus, our independence and our abilities into believing we belong to the world, when truly we belong to God. Then when our lives become painful or empty or disjointed we cry to our God in frustration or fear and, sometimes, anger, sensing that things are not as they should be but not certain how to find our way again.
But God is like that watchful mother, always concerned for our well-being -- concerned enough to allow us those moments of struggle and fear; moments of being lost.
God knows it is then that we are most likely to seek out our loving Parent and allow ourselves to be directed once again on the path we were meant to travel -- the path of holiness.
______________________________________
Mary Regina Morrell is the author of Angels in High Top Sneakers from Loyola Press.
Contact
Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org
NJ, US
Mary Regina Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Education, 732 562-1990
mmorrell@diometuchen.org
Keywords
God
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