It is precisely this space, which we might say God clears for us, in which we find our inherent worth and dignity.
God’s first gift for us is to be able to say, “l AM”.
St Augustine
When I was born all creation stood up and said, “God is!”
Meister Eckhart
Being seen: | |
 | Malcolm X, the Black Muslim leader in the 1960’s in the USA said the worst thing at the time was not the slander or the danger: it was that “white Americans never really did see me”. |
What’s it like not to be seen, not recognized?
Think of Jesus as God’s gift to us telling us that we are seen, creatively seen by God.
What’s it feel like to be seen by God?
Being heard: | |
 | Carl Rogers says when a person is deeply heard, “the more there is that happens”. It is, he says, as if a prisoner in a dungeon taps out a message in Morse code day after day – “Is anybody there?” – and finally one day hears some faint tapping, which spells out, “Yes”. |
Get in touch with a time when you have been listened to – when you have been really heard.
What happened?
How did it feel?
Being believed in: | |
 | Think about the fact that Jesus comes to tell us God believes in you. Nothing is more encouraging than to be believed. Being taken seriously creates a climate of respect and trust. When someone believes in you – with an open, generous, creative attitude – all sorts of things become possible. |
Think of a time when someone trusted you – was open with you -willing to “hear you”.
Then think of a time when you met with a closed – grudging – tight-lipped attitude.
See and taste the difference between what is creative and what is destructive.
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
For a printable PDF of the text of this meditation click on the link below.
