Practices From the Inside Out: How Do We Want to Be With God?

How Do We Want to Be With God?

I know people who believe they can be with God only when they are in a special building. They make regular visits to worship spaces and take trips to visit sacred sites. These people seem to divide their days between being with God and their regular, everyday lives with the rest of us.

Other people seem to believe we need to act in certain ways when we decide to be with God. We may need to wear particular clothes, use special words, or make certain spiritual gestures.

Some of us behave as though we believe there are specific parts of the day to be with God. We want to reserve time for our work and time to spend with our families and friends and time to relax. Once we take care of everything and get it organized we will find time to be with God.

There are people who act as though the best way to be with God is to get away from everyone else. They want to separate themselves even from social media and any contact with any other people.

We might be intimidated by even the idea of being with God. We may have heard things about God which are not particularly attractive. Some things about God may remind us of someone who has not treated us fairly or abused us. We might think God is judgmental or has anger issues or has done things which do not seem fair to us. God seems to have a lot of rules and people can get hurt when they break them.

If we were going to be with God, how would we want it to work? Where would we like it to happen and on what schedule? What would we want God to be like?

When Do We Want to Be With God?

What would be the best time for us to get together with God? Are there times of day when it would work better to be with God? When in our everyday schedules would we like to avoid being with God?

One of the lessons contemplative practices teach us is God is with us all the time.

There may be times when we are distracted or not paying attention to God. We may feel far from God or ignored by God at times. Each of us will probably have times when we wish we could get so far away God would forget us.

We practice being open to God’s presence and action within us and in the world around us. Even though there may be times when we feel discouraged or exhausted, God is with us.

There is not a time when we God turns away from us. Spiritual life fills us and draws us into itself.

We may choose when we will pay attention to God and when we will not. God is always choosing to pay attention to us.

There is no time when God is more accessible to us than any other time. Whenever we pause, take time to breathe, and become open to God’s presence, God is with us.

The only limits on when we can be with God are the ones we put on ourselves. God has no time limits.

Where Do We Want to Be With God?

Another lesson the contemplative practices I follow have shown me is God is not limited in space.

I have spent time with God in churches, synagogues, and mosques, in cathedrals and monasteries. We can also be with God in prisons, in hospitals, in shelters, and in offices both private and governmental.

Some of us feel closer to God when we are at the beach or the mountains, surrounded by big trees or tall buildings.

The key essential for us is not to find the right place to be with God, but to appreciate we can be with God anywhere.

Spiritual life is not about seeing all the sites or touching all the bases on our trip toward home. We seek the balance which encompasses where we are most comfortable and where we are challenged. Our journey of discovery takes us where we are drawn to go.

There may be times we are drawn to visit traditional sacred sites and other times when we are drawn into the wilderness. We can be with God no matter where we go.

The most important aspect of the place where we go to be with God is we and God are both there.

What Is It Like to Be With God?

Are there obstacles or challenges we must overcome to be with God? I think the primary obstacles in our path are our own expectations and anxieties about God.

Many of us have some information about God but little practical experience. God seems like one of the celebrities we read stories about online. We have some ideas about their reputation and publicity but do not really know them.

God is actually different from, maybe the exact opposite of, a celebrity. Yes, some people write a lot about God. God, however, is open to direct, personal communication. There is no velvet rope around God.

Each of us has our own unique opportunities to be with God every day.

Some of us prefer to be with God in a building designed for worship. Others of us are more open to God walking in a forest or along a lake or an ocean. We may draw closer to God over coffee or tea. God may draw us into listening to sacred stillness or into the rhythms of urban life.

God embraces us for who we are and is eager for us to respond to our open invitation.

We need to remember we can be with God anywhere and at any time. God is not limited by space or time and always open to us anywhere.

How do we want to be with God today?

What will it be like to be with God this week?

[Image by roseandsigil]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual life mentor and leadership coach in Southern California. He is a recovering attorney and university professor, and a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com, and his email address is [email protected].