“You can experience the fullness of love and enjoy its abundance, but it requires deciding what — or Who — will hold you and how you want to live the rest of your life. . . . You can continue being a raindrop but not part of the flood. Or you can embrace being in an ocean of divine love.”- Michael John Cusick
“No single raindrop ever considers itself responsible for the flood.”- Khaled Hosseini, Afghan-American novelist
In Chapter 12 (“Overflow: Opening Our Hearts to Vulnerability”), the final chapter in Sacred Attachment, Michael John Cusick observes that the smart phones in our pockets contain more Bible study resources than Martin Luther possessed throughout his entire life. Most significantly, Michael John asserts, more knowledge about God and the Bible fails to produce life-giving experience with God.
Consequently, Eugene Peterson once told the author what he considered one of Satan’s greatest strategies. That strategy = getting people into Bible study three times a week. Because, Michael John asserts, you need more personal experience of God. Instead of only studying the written Word, you need to encounter the Word Made Flesh. The God who looks like Jesus.
Therefore, Cusick asserts:
“We revert to legalistically having to get it right when we’re not daily surrendering to love, willing to be anchored by love. The timeless good news, though, is that . . . God remains in love with us, literally. He has never stopped loving us and never will. . . .
And when we lose sight of his love because of distractions and diversions, God always gets our attention and reminds us that we’re not alone, that he is present with us, always eager to experience our union with him.”
Hence, Michael John counsels, during those momentary lapses when we lose our way, we take comfort in this thought. We’re not really lost. After we stop spinning, in our disoriented state we discover that God’s love has us!
Today’s question: Do you see yourself in an ocean of divine love or as a raindrop apart from a flood? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Metabolized then internalized”