The beginning of wisdom is the same as its attainment: wonder. The truest statement in the world is “you never know.” There is always something to evoke wonder, to wonder about, because this world, this life, this universe, this reality is far more than just a sum of its parts. Even the slightest detail contains much more. The overwhelming awe and wonder we feel teach us more than we can ever glean or come to know of things. In the presence of that wonder, the head has no answers and the heart has no questions.

— Richard Wagamese, Embers — Opening reflection chosen and read by Sue J.

We often think of being “called” by God as some kind of special invitation by the Holy to undertake some special task on the Divine behalf: become a missionary, seek ordination, engage in a fight for social justice.  And while this happens from time to time- I can point to a precise moment in time when it was clear I was supposed to seek ordination; my experience has been that God’s call is more like a persistent, almost irresistible sense of being drawn more deeply into relationship with the Lover of our souls.  It’s primary purpose is not to send out to act, but to draw into relationship.

I was reminded of this past Saturday when the Walking in Wonder group met at Huntington Beach State Park.  I opted to walk in the surf, still such a joy for this new transplant from chilly New England.  And as I did, I noticed that little by little, I kept heading a bit deeper into the water, even when I didn’t mean to do so.  Again and again I would walk back into the shallow water.  And again and again, I felt an inexorable physical pull to go deeper.  And it occurred to me that this is the way God is with us- persistently, inexorably, repeatedly drawing us deeper.  

We can resist of course, and often do.  But in the same way that it takes work to resist the pull of the tides, the effort of resisting our call into relationship with Love Itself exhausts us at some deep level.  After a lot of years of thinking that the measure of my faithfulness was how much I was getting done ( I confess I wore my exhaustion as a kind of badge of honor), I have learned that responding to our call is more about surrendering to the power of that divine undertow.  What might flow from that surrender might indeed be action, but it is action empowered by the Spirit and even when that action might tire our bodies it refreshes our souls to overflowing.

— Reflection by Laura W.

Wonder abounds here

This land of beauty and peace

Heart has no questions.

— Photos and haiku by Nancy L.