Detective of the Divine

 

I love a good mystery book or show.  The twists and turns, the invitation to follow the breadcrumbs slowly putting the pieces together, collecting clues that point you in a particular direction.  Detectives need to suspend judgement, stay open, curious, humble, and have a stick-with-it-ness, because there can be a lot of dead ends and U-turns in the investigation.

 

This can be true in our lives and in our interaction with God. 

 

This week, I invite you to be a detective of the Divine.  I believe God offers glimpses of the holy, traces of grace, and comes disguised as our ordinary life.  One of the first toys in the toybox of being a detective is to be present to the moment.  Too often our minds ruminate on the past or catastrophize the future.  We can lug in the luggage of our life comments and past pain that leave us exhausted in the present moment.  Or we can be so caught up in trying to be five steps ahead of everyone, that we miss what is right under our nose.  The reality is that while the pain of the past does matter, we can’t rewind time.  The reality is that we know bad things can happen, but so can beauty even amid the brokenness.  Today, be open to the mystery of your life.  I encourage you to name and notice three ways God shows up.  This may not be splashy or spectacular.  Usually for me it is not a neon sign saying, “God is here” or a burning bush or the hem of God’s robe filling my office.  However, there are moments of love that wrap around me and warm my heart.  I wonder, why do we act as if the negative is more real than the goodness?  Is it that we’ve been taught and caught that the other shoe will fall?  Is it that we deny ourselves enjoyment because we know others are hurting?  Is it that we dismiss goodness because we don’t think it can really be trusted or maybe that we don’t deserve/haven’t earned it? 

 

Three ways God shows up in a word of love spoken by family or friends.  A smile of someone you pass by in the aisles of the grocery store.  A moment to sit outside letting the sun warm your skin.  A bird singing or music coming from your stereo.  Turn toward the goodness and God-ness that is woven into this day and this week.  And may you delight as a detective of the Divine in the unfolding, unknowable hours ahead.  Amen.