“I am as sure as I live that nothing is so near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself; my existence depends on the nearness and the presence of God.” ~ Meister Eckhart
“God is at home, it’s we who have gone out for a walk.” ~ Meister Eckhart
There are three beautiful excerpts here that support the premise God is always home, one is humorous, one is simple but deep and the third profound.
The first one is the simplest. To say there is nothing between us and God is to recognize a transcendent God is everywhere and that includes within us. He inhabits my soul and that has to mean he is the core of my being. He not only created me but he sustains my existence. As I reflect on this notion, I am alternately comforted and discomforted. It is, at the end of the pondering, a comfort to know God is always with me. Always. Until the end of time. There is hope in this knowledge, there is the promise of a reward, a justification of my existence and being.
The discomfort is knowing he knows all, everything, all the time. Given my humanity, I never perfect in thoughts, words or deeds. Well, maybe sometimes I actually have some good moments but as a rule, un-holiness dominates holiness. There is no hiding it, ignoring it or wishing all the bad out of existence.
The second quote leads us to the first. The nearness of God and His critical presence is so near there is no separation. God wishes to bring us into himself and give everything he has to us. The boundaries that separate us a temporary and illusory. The kingdom of God is not out there somewhere. It is within each of us.
This leads to the last quote. How true. When we think we have been abandoned we really miss the point. It is us who have turned away from his presence so we can't see it but he remains present, within and without. When we ignore him we ignore our true self which leaves bereft of hope and purpose. God is always home. He is at home in us whether we see him or recognize him or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment