Wherever you go, there you are -- and God, too

By Mary Regina Morrell
Catholic Online

Wherever you go, there you are - and God, too

"The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love . . ." (Zeph.3:17)

Today I caught a glimpse of God in the strangest place.

I saw him in the face of a diminutive, gray-haired senior who had been shopping in the local retail mart. Apparently deciding that it was time for a break, she had pulled aside a chair from a display and made herself comfortable outside the store under balmy skies.

There she sat, oblivious to the cars that passed closely by as the drivers scurried for parking spaces, or the multitude of shoppers, families and children, running, walking, yelling and talking in half a dozen different languages. She had made her little oasis of rest in the middle of an ordinary day of busyness. The image of her sitting was a wonderful illustration of the adage, "Where ever you go, there you are."

Young children are famous for the same thing.

What parent doesn't have stories of the youngster who laid down in the middle of a family get together and promptly went to sleep, or sat themselves down in the grocery store aisle and decided it was time to take those animal crackers off the shelf and have a little bite to eat.

One of my sons, in particular, was well known for falling asleep at the kitchen table, a half eaten piece of pizza, or a fork or spoon, still hanging out of his mouth. But one of the funniest things he ever did took place at the amusement park.

My husband and I had put him and his older brother on the kiddie bumper cars where they waved excitedly and squealed with delight as the cars began to move. At first things seemed to be going well, but soon we noticed that our younger son's car had drifted to the very center of the track and was turning 'round and 'round in tight, perfect circles.

On closer examination we realized that he had fallen asleep at the wheel!

For me, what may seem to be the peculiarities of some -- youngsters in particular - are really lessons in the spiritual life.

Far too often we wait for the "right time" and the "right space" to pray, to worship, to gaze in wonder and awe at the things of God, and far too often we miss the holiness right in front of our eyes every single day. Sometimes, just by being aware of what goes on around us, our whole life may be transformed by one unsuspecting person.

Last night, that person was a young girl of maybe 12 years old. Standing in the narthex of the church as the choir practiced from around the altar, she began to spin gloriously to the music. Around and around and around she spun, faster and faster with her arms outstretched to her sides and her face turned upwards toward the skylights above.

For a moment it seemed as if time had stood still, watching this young soul surrender to the gift of the moment, her movements and posture a perfect prayer to the God who was, no doubt, looking on her with deepest love.

Her prayer was no more than a simple expression of her life at that moment, "I'm so happy to have this life you have given me!"

How blessed we would all be if we could spin gloriously to the music of our lives and let every minute be a dance of gratitude!

Look closely and you will see that God's holiness is everywhere, even in those people we encounter in the parking lot.

If you haven't seen it, look again with the eyes of the heart.

Contact

Diocese of Metuchen
http://www.diometuchen.org NJ, US
Mary Regina Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Education, 732 562.1990

Email

mmorrell@diometuchen.org

Keywords

God,children, moment, dance, wherever you go

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