30 May 2006

After Joseph Sittler writes: Humankind is created to grasp more than we can grab, to probe more that we can ever handle or manage...he continues.

This transcendental restlessness has two parts. First, I cannot unfold, the the totality of my possibility, to the level of that which I dream. Second, the one who placed the dream in me is the Creator. We are made in the image of God. We are made after the image and the likeness of the ultimate thing itself. Our whole life is an effort to approach, to appreciate, to some degree to participate in, the absoluteness of God himself. But we can never do it; that's why our whole life is a restlessness.

Too often the word that comes from the faith community is one that does not want to go beyond into the possibilities of the day or that which may come to be. Rather, there is, as I noted on Friday, a desire to pull back and settle for what is or...what has been. It is as though humanity's limit and goal have been met and we should not go any further. What a shame to think so little of the Creator in whose image we are made. One of the wonderful aspects of our humanity is that we are so much more than what we have been. We may not reach the limits of our humanity, but we can soar within the place we have been given. Just as new insights emerge in so many areas of our lives, so to are we inspired to view our status as God's beloved in new ways that continue to fit within the shape of the day but also to expand our lives into new realms of being. It seems as though it is quite alright to be a part of this "restlessness" - quite realistic - actually quite necessary. For within this restlessness, we take the courageous leap of faith that moves us beyond ourselves and into the constant waiting arms of God.

Connection: We may not be able to unfold "the totality of my possibility," but there is always something that can be unfolded. In that way, life is always being filled with the freshness of an adventure that will take us into a new life that may surprise us and lead us into another adventure for life. Restlessness can be a very hopeful experience.

In your light, O God, we are invited to see the possibilities of life that we do not let ourselves see when we are confined to simple expectations that have been handed down to us. You lift us up so that we will see a glimpse of the fullness of your image and thus the fullness of our potential and our lives. Amen.