Shining Spirit

In time the footprints will wash away, disappear into the moist sand and be gone forever. But, in the meantime, the prints point toward a destination, a place that lures them forward over large stones and through narrow crevices. They are planted with a certain determination. The stride is long, most of the weight of the anonymous person is toward the toe, suggesting a running motion. In a hurry? Late for an appointment? For a meeting with a lover? Much and little are known by the fading footprints. Just that once a human being passed this way and left a momentary mark on the planet. What can be better than looking back over one’s shoulder and seeing the evidence of having lived, even if for a short time? Footprints fade, but the sand knows forever that someone passed this way. I expect no more. I desire no less.

Today I’m going to be where I am. I will not be in yesterday’s regrets, nor in tomorrow’s fantasies. Today will be enough for my mind to consider, for I know the phone will ring and happiness or sorrow will speak to me, the letter will arrive and I will tear it open with expectant joy or I will lay it aside for a stronger hour.

Today I am going to be where I am, fully aware of my heart, my window to the Sacred Mystery defining me and this moment. Very soon the sun will rise on a common day of minutes and hours, the ordinary arrives. But before the first rays flash over the mountain and bend down into the valley, all common will have been replaced by an invitation to Wonder, attainable only by this resolve:

Today I will be where I am. Right here. Right now.

Do you see anything beautiful in this odd plant? Anything? Creation comes up with some strange ideas, but then we have our standards for beauty, don’t we. Symmetry, balance, consistency. Maybe this was a mistake, an aberration, a bad day in the flower production department. Do you think beauty resides in what we call bizarre, like this flower? I do. O, yes. Without question. Sit with it for a few minutes and see if beauty breaks through. Forget the standards. Follow the Spirit.

It took time and patience to create this lovely mosaic. Just the right colors, a variety of shapes, the arrangement which brings out the beauty of each tile and the beauty of the whole design when all the pieces compliment each other. The colorful tiles certainly did not fall into place by themselves. A creative mind and a steady hand were required.

But, if you tilted the mosaic or displayed it on a shelf, all the pieces would end up on the floor. It isn’t finished. Something is missing, something absolutely essential. Grout. It is grout that holds it all in place, anchors the individual pieces so that a lovely design is created. No grout, no mosaic.

So in the spiritual life for the followers of Jesus. “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God…and He holds all creation together.” (Colossians 1) Holds it together, individually and collectively. Your life, my life, our lives together. Lots of implications in that biblical statement. Think about it. Good news for this good day.