God's Time. By: C.C.

Abbey of The Genesee: Bethany Retreat House, August 2014 Retreat

"It is only the present moment alone that holds the possibility of coming into the presence of God. Look around, breathe deep, enter into one moment. Now could be an altar. This time could be a tabernacle. In God, there is no time, only eternity- or more simply, only now. His name is I AM- wherever my feet are-is where I can love him." (Ann Voskamp)

   To come into the presence of God we must step away from our many distractions and drop the weight of our burdens. To present ourselves to the Lord and strive to live in the presence of God we must ultimately step away from ourselves. 

   Waiting can be as a weight upon our shoulders as we strive hastily in the time we are given each day to accomplish, pursue, and strive for what it is we desire. We have become a culture obsessed with time. Yet, we are no closer to capitalizing on the fullness of it through our activities, we have rather succeeded in achieving emptiness and exhaustion. 

    "What if all our running around is only our trying to run away from God?" (Voskamp) Our running around as a means of becoming our own gods. With the illusion of control we deprive ourselves of the grace of God's presence in every moment given to us. And yet, God has a way of breaking through our stubbornness, of putting a halt to our running, of reminding us Who is in control of our days.  

   Perhaps, by our nature we can only become more sensitive to time when it is tested. In the elations of life's moments or in times of suffering and sorrow time becomes everything. In the ordinary moments of our lives we may look past the moments as we motion our way through them. God is not silent. We have silenced our souls and deafened our ears by our running. It is only by offering our present to the presence of God that one can recognize His love. We can arrive a point of understanding that "wherever our feet are" - is where He loves us. 

   It is by awakening ourselves to the presence of Him in our present that we can gain appreciation for each moment and have greater sense of it's fullness; a greater sense of our purpose. We can heal our hurried nature by taking time to rest at His feet. (CC) 

   "The Son of Man has come to save what was lost (Luke 19:10) Having wandered from any true sense of a spiritual home and any real sense of direction, many are lost and they hunger hopelessly for they know not what. God, however, is a tireless seeker." (Magnificat- Morning Prayer)