…Opening To…

The glory of God is the human being fully alive. (St. Irenaeus)

…Listening In…

Yes, goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the Lord’s house as long as I live. (Psalm 23:6; context)

…Filling Up…

Yesterday, I asked you to think about a time when you felt fully alive. And judging by my own reflection on that question, I then wondered about how often our feelings of “full life” intersect with our awareness of God’s movement. So I’ll begin today with a premise and we’ll go from there. The premise is this: God is the foundation of all fullness of life.

Wait just a second, you say: what about those destructive instances you mentioned yesterday? Right, I’m glad you brought that up. Destructive forces like drugs and alcohol simulate true fullness (or they just keep you from caring), and thus keep us from pursuing the healthy, good ways to reach fullness. Other destructive forces give us something akin to fullness by taking it away from someone else. Therefore, fullness is also simulated in these cases because what we perceive as fullness is someone else’s emptiness, and thus when you add them together, it’s a wash.

So, you cannot find true fullness through chemical stimulation, nor through taking someone else’s fullness away. And with that, we return to our premise that God is the foundation of all fullness of life. Now we must ask ourselves, “On what is this premise founded?” Well, like all other things having to do with God, the premise is founded (when you get right down to it) on God alone. Yes, God is the foundation of the foundation. But let’s move a few rungs up the ladder just so you don’t think I’m dodging the question.

My own life of faith has brought me to these thoughts today: All life comes from God because God created and is creating everything that is, has been, or will be. God yearns for all life to find the fullest potential for which God created it. Other species find this potential when they do the things that they do best of all, the things that they just seem to be created to do. God created us humans to love God and be reflections of God’s love in this world. We realize our fullest potential when we participate in God’s movement in our lives, which always seems to play out in such a way as to make us better at loving. Therefore, God is the foundation for all fullness of (human) life.

When we feel fully alive, the best thing we can do is to try to become aware of how God is moving in that fullness. But that’s a topic for tomorrow.

…Praying For…

Dear God, source of all life, you yearn for all of your creation to participate in the fullness of your grand design. Help me to be aware of your presence and to give thanks for the fullness you shower up me. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, rejoicing that you constantly yearn to draw me more deeply and more fully into life.