So the equation is relatively simple. Our self-centeredness is our hell – created and staffed by ourselves! Inmate and Warden – all one and the same. To the extent that our self-centeredness can be be detached from the thought patterns that protect, and yes even sickly nurture it, the more we let God in. The more we let God in the more we come to the simple joy of being, the more we open into our true selves.
Funny how those moments of self-less joy catch us by surprise. I am consistently too self concerned to let joy in. God, at His always surprising best, works most effectively when I am not looking. The joy of a new thought gleaned from some unforeseen source. (Did you know seeds contain within them all the nutrients and energy they need to germinate? A sermon taking root over that idea!) Lunch with a dear friend. Sharing history with a parishioner. A text from the wise, “Buddy … God’s will not ours be done.” My mom reminding me to write a poem.
None of that matters right. Today I did not move mountains or marry a couple or offer words over the end of a earthly life. But it was a day of joy, a day full of the simple joy of being.
