When I was a kid, my family lived close to an elementary school that was surrounded by large fields and several classroom buildings. My brothers and I would head over to this school with the other kids in our neighborhood and play. Often we would play "hide-and-seek." I remember one time when we were playing this game and I was “it," which meant I had to close my eyes, count to 50, and run around trying to find everyone in their hiding spots.
So that's exactly what I did. I closed my eyes, counted to about 50 and then went searching. As I searched all throughout the school, looking behind backstops, around corners and all over the place, I couldn't find anyone! It was like they had all disappeared.
As it turns out, they hadn't disappeared. While I was away counting with my eyes closed, they conspired and decided not to hide, but to run back to our house and play a joke on me. After a significant amount of searching (in reality it was probably only 15-minutes, which could easily equate to 6-months in 'kid-time'), I eventually figured something was up and returned home. Upon my arrival, I found everyone back at my parent's house. I can't exactly recall what happened next, but I was probably a little upset by their ditching me, but moved on with little residual trauma.
As it turns out, they hadn't disappeared. While I was away counting with my eyes closed, they conspired and decided not to hide, but to run back to our house and play a joke on me. After a significant amount of searching (in reality it was probably only 15-minutes, which could easily equate to 6-months in 'kid-time'), I eventually figured something was up and returned home. Upon my arrival, I found everyone back at my parent's house. I can't exactly recall what happened next, but I was probably a little upset by their ditching me, but moved on with little residual trauma.
The way this ties into the existence of God is that while we are searching the skies, sending powerful telescopes and probes into space, they are returning with no signs of life. None. It would appear that we are here on this little blue marble, floating in a huge universe all by ourselves. When I was searching for my brothers and friends during the game, it felt the same way. But what was more believable? That my brothers and friends never existed or that they intentionally left me at the school searching? To ask this in a slightly different way, is it more believable that in this huge, incredible universe, we are the only life-forms in existence or that we are here, not by accident, but intentionally? And if we are here intentionally, maybe we are meant to ask questions like "Where is God?" or "Why am I here?" Perhaps it is possible that these questions (which seem to be hard-wired into the human psyche) are meant for us to start with looking up, but then progress to leveling out our view to whats around us.
Maybe, just as gravity pulls us down to this cosmically lonely planet, our earthly experience begs us to look for God, not in the skies above, but in our life below. It begs us to look for God in each other. In our spouses, parents, siblings. In our colleagues, and yes, even in our enemies. Maybe we are even supposed to look for God in ourselves.
How would life, our relationships, our work and our plans change if we decided to look for God in each other? In the stranger. In the annoying co-worker. In the beggar; both the beggar on the street and the beggar in the mirror.
I do believe in God. Maybe not in the same way you do or in the same way they do in other cultures, but I believe in God. And like the vigilant parent that refrains from intervening in the child's affairs, hoping they choose the better way, leading them to a deeper understanding of a given situation, our Heavenly Parents (yes, I also believe God isn't a bachelor) stands far off, but close.
Where is God?
His mailing address doesn't matter so much to me as does his creations. And that is where I find God.
~rc
Maybe, just as gravity pulls us down to this cosmically lonely planet, our earthly experience begs us to look for God, not in the skies above, but in our life below. It begs us to look for God in each other. In our spouses, parents, siblings. In our colleagues, and yes, even in our enemies. Maybe we are even supposed to look for God in ourselves.
How would life, our relationships, our work and our plans change if we decided to look for God in each other? In the stranger. In the annoying co-worker. In the beggar; both the beggar on the street and the beggar in the mirror.
I do believe in God. Maybe not in the same way you do or in the same way they do in other cultures, but I believe in God. And like the vigilant parent that refrains from intervening in the child's affairs, hoping they choose the better way, leading them to a deeper understanding of a given situation, our Heavenly Parents (yes, I also believe God isn't a bachelor) stands far off, but close.
Where is God?
His mailing address doesn't matter so much to me as does his creations. And that is where I find God.
~rc
