Detectives of the Divine

 

And Mary said (sang), “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46-47)

 

All great detectives have a magnifying glass. Okay, maybe it is just Sherlock Holmes who has that, but still it is cool.  I don’t know why that became a toy in the toybox of this profession.  Perhaps it was so the detective could spy with her little eye the subtle clues that were small ~ the piece of thread from the coat of the murderer or a smudge of a fingerprint.  For me, our faith is a magnifying glass. 

 

The truth is that we magnify all sorts of things in our words and actions.  A few weeks ago, I put that as, “What we venerate, we emulate”.  Or we are all living out of a gospel.  The stories we share shape us as we retell them.  One of the ways to wield the magnifying glass in your life is to listen to what you are saying and sharing.  Do you share only the good or only the bad?  Do you try to dissuade others that yes, the sky is falling or no, everything will be fine.  Do you dismiss and discount the evidence the magnifying glass of your life picks up that doesn’t conform or contort to your conclusion you’ve already reached? 

 

When we notice that our stories are magnifying glasses, we wake up and become aware of what is happening within us.  Listen to the stories you tell friends; notice the words you say and what is reflected back to you.  Finally, this is not done with judgement, blame or shame, but an openness to follow the thread of the holy in our lives as we become detectives of the Divine.  As you stay open to the stories you are sharing, where is God showing up in beautifully disruptive ways?  May this invitation awaken you to God’s grace and love this day and this week.  Amen.