paradox

Richard Rohr says of the spiritual journey –

“The ordinary path is a gradual awakening and an occasional quieting, a passion for and a surrendering to, a caring and a not caring at all. It is both center and circumference, and I am finally not in control of either.”

Everything Belongs

This life with God is a paradox. It seems that in the beginning of the journey we are hungry for knowledge of God. We want to, and for good reason, learn as much as we can about who God is and how we do this thing called the Christian life. We settle into a routine of serving God and can become quite content. Then, there may come a time when our arsenal of answers don’t seem to fit our life circumstances. Something is wrong. We can’t quite put our finger on it. The Spirit is on the move.
This is/was part of my journey. It seems my days are made up of gradual awakenings – times when I feel I am waking up to the reality of God breaking through. Then there are those times of occasional quieting, sometimes planned and sometimes unplanned, as if God, Himself invites me into silence so that we can have an undistracted moment. I find I have more passion for Him than I’ve had at any other time in my life. I also find myself more surrendered to whatever God has for me, looking for the gift in every situation. And I care – more about Him, more about others, more about the world and yet I can hold everything lightly, acknowledging that everything comes from Him.

He is the center and circumference of my life. Each day I realize how little I know about Him and about myself and each day I am more open to learning. I am willing to let my own image of God die and allow Him to re-shape it into whatever I need right now.

How are you with paradox? Can you hold two seemingly opposing views at the same time?

Awakening and quieting?
Passion and surrender?
Caring and not caring?
Knowing that God is the center and circumference but not being in control at all?

Consider how God may be speaking to you through paradox today.

Grace and peace,
Deb

Photo by Acradenia http://www.flickr.com/photos/acradenia/2482193173/