On Being Found

“For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. I have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life—pray always, work for others, read the Scriptures—and to avoid the many temptations to dissipate myself. I have failed many times but always tried again, even when I was close to despair.

Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love me. The question is not “How am I to find God?” but “How am I to let myself be found by him?” The question is not “How am I to know God?” but “How am I to let myself be known by God?” And, finally, the question is not “How am I to love God?” but “How am I to let myself be loved by God?” God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home.”

― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

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God ( or however you want to image the Sacred) finds us

in the most peculiar places

on a dusty road, deep in the country

at 5 am

on a city street

as humanity flows violently around us

in a church pew

when, in spite of the best efforts of the minister

we are found by the Divine

In our struggles, in our pain

In our victories, in our joy

In our power

In our weakness

Everywhere

We are found

And each time we learn the same lesson

We are loved