Seeds of God

   “The seeds that are planted in my liberty at every moment, by God’s will, are the seeds of my own identity, my own reality, my own happiness, my own sanctity.”  (Thomas Merton, “New Seeds of Contemplation”)

   If I pay attention God will help me in my search for who I am and why I am here.  Sometimes He speaks very plainly and at other times His ways are very subtle.  If I fail to listen and pay attention to God’s plantings in my soul I can never truly know myself or my purpose.

   He speaks to me in Scripture and in the books that I read.  When I read of the Saints there are clues to who I am supposed to be.  At Mass on Sunday there have been times when the Priest seems to be speaking to me and me alone in his homily.  As I prepare to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist I know that He is present within me.

   I have bird feeders, hummingbird feeders and food set out for squirrels and rabbits in my yard.  I can sit at the table in my kitchen and see the them coming to eat or just passing through.  The creatures of God are also seeds in my soul helping me to better understand the God of creation.  They teach me of myself in many ways.  If I can only learn to rely on the ways of the Lord as they do then I will be much more at peace in our Lord.

   In the people I meet God also plants seeds within me.  Even those who don’t reflect Him in their manner teach me that it is important that I ensure that He is present in all I do and in the way I approach others.  There are those who end the purchase at the checkout with “Have a blessed day”; servers in restaurants sometimes write something similar on the check.  These small blessings remind me that is important to let others know of God’s love for them.

   As I go through life I find the most peaceful, fulfilling times are those when I am better aware of God within me; paying attention to His urgings and His will for me.  For me, trying my best to nurture the seeds of sanctity planted within me by God is the path to happiness and salvation.

   “Not to accept love and do God’s will is to refuse the fullness of my existence.”  (Thomas Merton, “New Seeds of Contemplation”)