“In the same way a child develops emotional object constancy, [we develop] spiritual object constancy. . . . It is refreshing to hear the writes of the Bible continually remind people to ‘remember’ when God . . . led them from here to there. . . . God calls on our memory of spiritual experiences to give us courage to go further with Him. We build a sense of spiritual object constancy over the years as we log memoires of trusting Him.”- Dr. Henry Cloud, Changes That Heal
In Chapter 7 (“A Doorway for Connection”) of The Emmanuel Promise, Summer Joy Gross observes that sometimes, like Jacob, we sojourn in a new land and express surprise when God shows up. But, at other times, God extends an invitation to walk with Him in the liminal (hidden, unseeable) places of our lives. We move from one moment to another as the light of His presence penetrates the darkness.
Hence, Summer encourages us to place, with intention, sensory reminders of the truth of God’s presence. That we use these reminders to remember that God is her as we walk from present moment to present moment. Therefore, Summer suggests reminders like a lit candle, a praise song on repeat, the liturgy of the hours, or a cross in your pocket.
Most significantly, Summer reiterates, God’s presence never depends on our awareness. Consequently, when our attention strays elsewhere. God doesn’t disappear. However, we may function as if that’s the case.
Thus, Summer exhorts:
“By using a constant reminder of God’s presence, we’re laying the groundwork for spiritual object constancy. Object constancy is the concept of believing that an object still has reality even when it’s out of sight. . . . Lavish love is a new landscape we need a map to find. But just having a map is not enough. We have to travel the road until we can consistently find our way home. Our brains need to be renewed for perfect love.”
Today’s question: What most helps you as a reminder of God’s presence? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Practical atheists?”
