Where are you?
This question
is looming over me. It comes from Genesis 3 in the Garden of Eden
shortly after Adam and Eve sinned. “Where
are you?” ask God, not because he didn’t know where Adam and Eve were (that he
knew well). He took the initiative with
Adam and Eve in effort to restore a right relationship with them. God initiated. God initiated because he cared. He had every right to be angry. He committed all of creation into the care of
Adam and Eve. He showed them great love
and gave them great freedom. But they
disobeyed. And yet God still loved
them. He initiated the conversation. Where are you?
Where am
I?
Here I am God. I am sitting on my “new” couch, in the middle
of my redecorated living room, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my husband,
the completion of my time here at seminary, and eagerly anticipating the
future. Here I am God. I am yours.
I see the
work that you are doing in my life and in the lives of my friends and
family. I even see the work that you are
doing in the lives of complete strangers all over the world. You have initiated a right relationship with
each one of us but it is up to us to respond to your invitation.
Here I am.
I am inspired
by you; the way you love and the way you seek justice and mercy in a fallen and
broken world. You never give up. You are relentless in your pursuit of me and
of all of creation. There is nowhere, no
nook, no cranny, nowhere where you are not present. You are right here with me in this room just
like you are right there in the darkest places in this world.
There is no
need to return the favor; to ask you where you are because you Lord, are
everywhere! Help us to recognize your
presence at all times, in all situations, and in all people. Not one of us is lacking the imago dei; each and every one of us has been created in your image, male and female. Help us to see the good in all people. Teach us to love mercilessly at all times, in
all situations, and all people.
God
initiated. Where are you?
