It was a gray misty morning when, camping in the wilderness of the Boundary Waters, I hiked alone along a rocky cliff.
The sandy ledge I was following became too narrow, so I looked up and decided to climb the cliff. Hand over hand, step by rocky step, I pulled myself up, concentrating on the safest mossy crevices to grab hold.
And then, I reached the top.
What I saw there took my breath away. An abundance of wild blueberries covered the top of the cliff. The sun kissed my face and warm sunlight danced across the plump juicy berries and glossy green leaves that fluttered in a gentle breeze.
In a place no human had ever before set foot, I was the only one there to witness the wonder of God’s creation, to find this private place of wild beauty and quiet delight.
Here it was — a whole new world.
And God had gifted me the joyful thrill of discovering it.
Joy of discovery
At times in our own spiritual journeys, this same type of discovery — or re-discovery — can occur.
Perhaps it is discovering God in the happy triumphs of your life or perhaps it is after a time of intense pain and sorrow when you realize that God is lifting you up in the people around you.
Perhaps it is during prayerful moments at Mass or Eucharistic Adoration, when you may recognize the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit in the depths of your heart.
Perhaps it is in the precious minutes after Communion when Jesus, physically closest to you at that moment than at any other time here on earth, imbues in you the deepest Love that burns in His own heart for you.
Moments of growth
Whatever the circumstances during which you witness not only the inner workings of God deep in your heart and in your life but also the true nature of who God really is, when you realize that perhaps your previously held view is different from the truth, that is the gift of the grace of spiritual discovery, an “a ha” moment that can help you grow in your relationship with God.
Thank God for these moments, these gifts. Treasure them. Recognize them as steps to deepening your interior life and changing for the better.
“See, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
A whole new world
My own recent “discovery” is that God is much more loving than I previously comprehended. Having always known at an intellectual level that God is Love, I still pictured Him as a disciplinarian, which caused me to hold Him at arm’s length for a long time.
In this discovery of understanding more fully God’s true loving nature, however, I am peering over the cliff I climbed long ago in the wilderness. At the top of the cliff, I have glimpsed the most breathtaking sea of light and goodness that is only God who wants nothing but to love and be loved.
My relationship with Him need only be so simple — to offer up with the most tender love my entire life, whatever it looks like, along with all its joys and trials. Period.
Discovering God’s true loving nature is indeed a whole new world. Simpler. Freer.
A quiet delight after a hard climb.
Julianne Nornberg, mother of four children, is a member of St. John the Baptist Parish, Waunakee.