A Holy Experience

Last week I was riding my bike, downhill, so it's not work. The sun was out and warm and the day was beautiful with the promise of spring. My friends and I were just talking about how God is present, all day everywhere, and the only limitation to my interaction with God is myself: my awareness, my thoughts, my intention.

I thought, "How often am I really paying attention to God's movement in my little meverse?" (That's the universe, centered around and interacting with me. I know it's not a thing, but admit it, we all have a meverse.) Sure, I see amazing beautiful things and sometimes I will stop, for a second, and thank God. In pain and crisis I cry out to God. Sometimes, when something really silly or poignant happens, I look up and say, "God, I see what you did there." We have that kind of relationship, where I point out to him the great laugh that we are about to share. But those are momentary, fleeting snippets of my day. What I really want is what Jesus called abiding -- consciously resting in and being fully aware of God in everything, every day.

Which brings me back to the bike. I was sitting there, just marveling at how perfect it was: the wind in my hair, the trees and flowers, and I thought, "This is a holy experience." And then I wondered about the word holy. Here I am a week later, still thinking about that word -- holy.

So I looked it up in the dictionary. You know, sometimes the dictionary is no help at all. All the dictionary gives is references to stuff dedicated for a religious purpose or to God. The dictionary knows that holiness has something to do with God, but has no clue what that is. I know that one of God's characteristics is holiness, that His goal for my life is holiness, but what is it??

I think holiness may be that door in our minds that we open to be aware of God. Think about it for a minute.  A holy place is one where we experienced God  (or someone else did generations ago). A holy experience is one in which we (for lack of a better word) "feel" God's presence. The whole key to holiness is awareness and recognition of God -- his character, his presence, his activity.

Which means that holiness is not just a mystery -- though there is plenty of mystery in the whole thing, but it's also something I can grow. Want a holy job? Choose to open the door in your mind to God while you work. Talk over tasks with Him, ask for wisdom in making decisions, or dealing with that co worker, or staying on task. Want a holy family? Choose to open your mind to including God as part of your family. Give Him a seat at the table, literally or figuratively. Go on walks to the park with Him and show Him your favorite parts of His creation. Want a holy experience?
Conscientiously choose to be aware of God.

Now, I'm not saying that this is as simple as flipping on a switch. It's more like exercising a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Here's a simple start. David says in a poem he wrote that, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." So start there, in nature. It's a common place that religious (and non-religious people for that matter) find holiness. Look at the skies and try to see beyond them as you consider the vastness of God. Examine a flower and know the intricacies of God. Observe a sunset and marvel at the artistry of God. Watch a bug fly and think about the creativity and engineering mind of God. Make it a game -- what do I see about God from what I observe in nature. 

Warning -- not everything in nature is representative of God. Remember that sin has messed things up pretty good, in humanity more than anything else. Start with what you know about God and work from there. If you don't know much about God, read about Him in the Bible -- maybe start in the Psalms. There's lots of emotions and relating to God in those. Or look at Jesus. God with skin on.

One last thought. As I look at nature I see lots of paradoxes -- opposites that are both true. Great scope and vastness, intricate detail and minute planning, creativity and order, joy in pain, and I think that's also a characteristic of God. God embraces the paradox: death to create life, spilled blood that cleanses. And when we embrace the paradox too, we can see God in a clearer way.

I don't mean to make God merely human, as we give Him traits and characteristics that we can identify with. Actually, in this process, God is making us more human. More like he designed us to be. In tune with Him and the world He put us in. In a word, holy.