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To Reach for God

19 February 2005, 10 am | Book

I must always remember that I can no more approach God than an infant can approach his mother. When the baby sees its mother several feet away, he tries to reach her by stretching out his tiny arms toward her. But it is Mom who goes the distance and makes the connection. In the same way, my human capacity to reach across the great divide between the finite and the infinite is eternally inadequate. But from God’s perspective, the gap doesn’t exist at all. Like a loving mother, our Mother-God is ever present.

Because of his mother’s faithfulness, the child of the loving mother soon becomes convinced that his reach is sufficient, and in a way he’s right, isn’t he? In the same way, all I need to do in order to reach God is to reach for God. I should do myself a favor to memorize this line: To reach for God is to reach God. I will have to remind myself of this whenever I feel tempted to believe that God will only come to me if I find the magic book, say the magic formula and become the perfect pray-er. I should trust that God is present to me any time I stretch out my feeble little spiritual arms.

— Mark E. Thibodeaux, S.J., Armchair Mystic

Comments

  1. AS I began to read this, Mark, I was “pricked” to respond in a negative manner, knowing that it is completely possible to “reach God”. Too often we “jump” too quickly. It was but this morning, listening to my pastor, that it occurred to me how I’ve often said that, while God’s love is great, one must also remember God capable of wrath. What spoke to my spirit was the fact, however, that if we are willing to “reach for God”, to turn to Him in who and what we are, He is always there to bath us in His love and work in us His wisdom. Wrath comes but to those who refuse to come to the light, happier by their own decision in the darkness……….

    ∼ πλ · 20 February 2005, 2 pm · by Jim ¬

  2. That’s a beautiful quote—thank you!

    Hey! We have some things in common. My last name is Woodward, and when I was younger I lived in Heavener, Oklahoma (about 50 miles east of Fort Smith, if I’m not mistaken).

    I enjoyed your blog—and love the mirror shot in your “about” section. :)

    God bless,
    Shannon

    ∼ πλ · 2 March 2005, 7 pm · by Shannon Woodward ¬

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