One of my favorite quotes is this:
“If they get you asking the wrong questions they don’t have to worry about the answer.”
As a result of a book that I am reading – Abraham Joshua Heschel: Essential Writings – I realize I probably have been asking the wrong question and, therefore, not finding what I have been looking for. In an effort to pay attention to what I think is important or to move beyond what appears on the surface I have been asking:
“Where is God in this particular circumstance or situation.”
I ask my question with the best intentions in an effort to remind myself that even the most ordinary moments have the possibility of being tinged with the Holy.
But, maybe I have been asking the wrong question.
I think what I need to begin to ask is this:
“God is present. What do I need to do to be more aware of, more open to God in this moment that I have.”
The difference between the two questions may sound like semantics, but here is what I think is the difference. When I ask “Where is God?” the assumption is that God is hiding. Playing a type of holy hide and seek with me and my job is to find God. But, if I ask “What do I need to do to be more aware of God in this moment?” it is an acknowledgement that God is everywhere and always present and that my responsibility is openness and awareness and acknowledgement.
I wonder…
I think Iwill try asking what I think is the right question and see what I discover.
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