As I read Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation, clarity unfolds like light breaking through mist.
We are made in God’s image—Spirit. And that divine part of us is gracious enough to fully accept the human part of us. This truth stirs something deep within me, leading me to journal.
To sit in the profound reality that the Divine indwelling of the Spirit of God within me is enough—enough to fully embrace me, even in my humanity—is breathtaking.
The Struggle of Control vs. the Grace of Surrender
Too often, I find myself consumed by anxiety, grasping for control, scrambling for reassurance. I frantically reach out to friends, mentors—anyone who can confirm, affirm, or guide me. Yet, in my striving, I suffer under the weight of my own human frailty.
All the while, my soul watches with compassion. It does not judge my desperate search for certainty. It does not recoil at my fear. Instead, it embraces my humanity with a love so boundless, so patient, that it gently nudges me to breathe, to slow down, to trust.
And it does so without condemnation—only affection.
It is as if the Divine within me chuckles, not at me, but with me, smiling with affectionate amusement at my relentless effort to force solutions. The Spirit does not scold; it simply walks beside me, whispering, “Be still. I am here.”
The Opposite of Judgment is Affection
For so long, I believed that the opposite of judgment was acceptance—but now, I see it is something even deeper: affection.
Affection: A fond attachment, devotion, or love.
The example given? The affection of a parent for an only child.
Wow.
This divine affection, this sacred love, begins within me. It is not something I must earn; it is something I must recognize. And as I do, as the felt connection between my humanity and the indwelling Spirit deepens, it begins to flow outward effortlessly. Love ceases to be something I must try to give—it simply is.
Like a river that overflows its banks, the love I receive becomes the love I extend. Without striving. Without force. Simply being—and in that being, God’s love is made evident.
Coming Home to Myself
As I turn inward and greet my true self—my soul—I feel my heart swell.
It is as if I have finally come home.
As if I have spent a lifetime searching for that which was within me all along. Two long-lost friends, reunited at last—only, it is something even more intimate. The Divine has been calling to me all along, waiting patiently, whispering its presence, while my humanity searched outwardly for what could only be found within.
No Separation, Only Communion
I once thought of my soul as a little “s” spirit and God’s Spirit as the big “S” Spirit—the force that connects all things to itself. But as I sit with this truth, I wonder... perhaps there is no separation at all.
Perhaps the Spirit I carry is the great Spirit, the One who breathes life into all things. Perhaps, as I commune with the Divine within me, I commune with the wholeness of creation itself.
And if that is true, then as I turn inward, I bless outward.
As I recognize the Spirit of God within me, all separation fades.
As I rest in the love that has always been mine, I become love to the world.
