This is a sheet from a bookmark calendar we had at home over thirty years ago. Even back then, the dramatic-looking hands of God holding the little child very securely attracted me. When my children see this today, they say the hands are too old, dark and wrinkled. Almost scary. But when I look at it, all I still see is His love embracing tightly the vulnerable little child.
For many years even until mid-life, it was very difficult to really feel God in prayer. Like a lot of people, I knew He was always there. But feeling? It's not something you can just create at your own whim. Then I saw this picture again. I posted it on the cover of my prayer journal. While undergoing the Ignatian spiritual exercises at that time, I would use this photo to start my daily prayer. I imagined myself to be the little child, resting within the security of that embrace. The breakthrough was when I was also reassured that staying within His embrace was indeed already a prayer all by itself! Just being the vulnerable little child in the picture was prayer??! In time, the feelings came. God in His goodness used this image of His loving embrace, never mind the wrinkled, "scary" look, to allow me to feel Him - finally!
If you are also going through some struggle in "feeling God", really desiring it but not being able to, may you somehow discover an image that will help bring it about. Pray for this with all your heart, that the image that He wants to give especially to you will come. And then trust that in time, you will be able to really feel Him.
God bless you
No comments:
Post a Comment