Close to Mystery, Close to Life
Matt Frizzell of Independence, MO, USA
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; -Luke 1:47-48
One of the great gifts faith offers me is the opportunity to shift my trust. For me, my natural inclination is to put my trust in the world. I want to put my faith in what I can see and measure, and what I can influence and control. Yet, I’ve seen how such things are easily stripped from me. I’ve also experienced the folly of my ways at times. What I seize control of in my life is often ultimately also in someone else’s control. That puts me in a vulnerable place.
Trust and where I place my trust are matters of the heart. They directly tie to my feelings. I realize why scripture consistently views faith as a “heart thing.”
Personally, I need to connect with God daily. God is that source of life at the center of the mystery of life. I have to make it a practice to seek God and simply honor God for who God is and what I am not. I am not God. I am not the source of life at the center of the mystery of life. I am, at best, a steward of the mystery of my life and co-creator with God. When I do that, I am able to survive. I can survive those things I cannot control. In fact, it can open a new spiritual perspective within me. That opening is a whole new source of meaning in my life. That meaning spills to what is around me, and I can be different in the world: in the world, but not of it.
Prayer Phrase
God with us.
Spiritual Practice
Take time each day in this season to notice what feels most alive in you. Spend some time holding the feeling, and ask what it may be trying to tell you about the Spirit at work in your life. Notice what it may be forming in you. Pay attention to where it may lead. How can what is most life-giving reveal the presence and invitation of God in and around us.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
