The beginning of Psalm 145 was our gift this weekend:
My soul yearns for You,
Eternal Flame of Love,
longing to reconnect to
the Great Mystery!
Every day will I bless You as
I follow the Voice of Truth.
Great are You, who call us to
childlike wonder, to the healing balm of forgiveness.
Each generation must learn anew
the efficacy of silence,
the wisdom of turning inward,
that your Light might be their guide to holiness,
and Your Love nurture them toward wholeness. (Nan C. Merrill, Psalms for Praying)
The body is often referred to as a temple of God. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul asks, "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" (1Cor 3:16).
Inviting us to discover and live from God's Spirit that dwells within, the psalmist calls us to the wisdom of turning inward, to learning the importance of opening the temple door to the depths within our own souls.
Jesuit paleontologist, Teilhard de Chardin, understood the necessity of opening the door inward to find and claim this inner Divine Presence: "The deeper I descend into myself, the more I find God at the heart of my being." Thomas Merton worded it differently but noted the same thing: "To find love I must enter into the sanctuary where it is hidden, which is the mystery of God."
However we describe our inner life, one thing is certain; God's Divine Presence dwells there. When we turn inward to the Presence of God, we do more than simply extend a smile of recognition - we open ourselves to the possibility of being spiritually transformed, deeply healed and challenged to grow in ways we never dreamed possible.
The door to our heart awaits opening, but our face-paced culture detours us. Unless we set aside intentional time for turning inward, the door often remains closed; with all that grace, mercy, love, inner-courage and strength left untapped. It is funny how we will shop-until we drop for a great bargain and yet find it so difficult to stop, get still, and turn inward to the treasure of God's Presence within.
A helpful suggestion is to make an appointment with yourself each day. Being as responsible to this engagement as you would be with a medical or dental appointment. Appointments to attend to our physical health matter. Appointments with our soul matter too.
Give yourself permission to turn inward. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain.
For Reflection:
What does turning inward look like for you?
How might you become more aware of the reality of God's Spirit dwelling within you?
When would be a good time each day for you and God to connect? Could you make a commitment to show up every day? For a week? For a month? For the season of fall?
