Holy Places

“Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!” Gen 28:16

Two things strike the reader of Genesis. Jacob's dream allows him to see God in places he did not expect. More important, the text implies that we often forget that God is everywhere and fail to see God or notice God's passing by or presence. There are any number of reasons for this. Sometimes we are so caught up with our own concerns that we fail to see anyone or anything else. We can rush past a needy person, not because we do want to help or don't have the means, but because we don't even see them. At other times, we are satisfied with the God we have and fail to look further.

Years ago, a well known experiment with young theology students interning at a hospital made this point powerfully. A teacher whispered into the ear of each student the story of the man set upon by robbers, beaten and left to die. Then they told them to hurry through a passageway between hospital buildings in order to pass the message they had received to other students. Diligent and committed to their task, a large majority of the students failed to see or stop for a man who had fallen and was lying on the side of the passageway.  In fact, in their desire to be faithful to their commission, they failed to stop at a holy place.

There are holy places in all our lives which really challenge us to recognize that we can find God everywhere if only we slow down, pay attention, and attend to those directly in front of us. Every day there are opportunities to be amazed by God. We have only to notice and respond.

Today, make holy a place in your own home by noticing how God is present there.

Where do you most often find God?