Unexpected Encounters with God

When God speaks to my soul.

Being blindsided by beauty, complexity, and the resulting awe … that’s when my spirit is stunned into an unshakeable awareness of God. Not the gods of religion, but the God that created our planet’s majesty.

Driving the Pacific coast on Highway 1 into Big Sur or stepping up to the railing at Niagara Falls, how can one not feel the magnificence deep in their soul? The mountains of Vermont in the fall, a storm rolling in from the Firth of Forth, or a dip in the warmth of the ocean off Ambergris Caye, each experience brings new awareness and amazement.

I am not a globetrotter, I’ve only traveled within the United States, Scotland, and Belize, but in my travels, I have learned one thing — Spirit speaks to me when I’m surrounded by God’s wonders.

The churches in Scotland were incredible, but Spirit didn’t meet me there. I was struck by the craftsmanship and abilities of man so long ago, but was my soul touched? No.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York is gorgeous, but I couldn’t help being distracted by its opulence in comparison to the poverty of the people being asked to support its beauty. From their website:

“St. Patrick’s Cathedral was … paid for not only by the contributions of thousands of poor immigrants but also by the largesse of 103 prominent citizens who pledged $1,000 each.”

I digress. However, my awareness that religion preys on the poor eliminates the possibility of my communing with God in their buildings.

There is a tiny nature preserve in Parkville, Missouri that has a small waterfall that can be reached after just a few minutes of walking the trail. Depending on the weather, the water might be rushing down, barely a trickle, or somewhere in between, but regardless of the amount or speed, I find God there.

I remember standing atop Edinburgh Castle while a storm came in off of the Firth. It was mesmerizing. I found God there.

My son, daughter-in-law, and two besties, no one else in sight, swam off a pier on Ambergris Caye. The water was the blue/green of your imagination, warm, and salt-water buoyant. It was near the end of our time there and we were tired and a bit quieter. I found God there.

I grew up on a lake, swam daily, and loved every minute, but there was nothing clear about the water there. It was murky with a greenish tinge. When I was about ten years old, my family visited White Lake in North Carolina. The water was so clear I could see every stone on the bottom of the lake. I found God there.

While visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico I went to the Santuario de Chimayo. Every year thousands of people make the pilgrimage there, along the dusty roads, some walking over 70 miles! There is a hole in a small room there, which is purported to have healing dirt. Crutches, braces, and all manner of medical equipment line the walls of the Santuario, left there by pilgrims who were healed.

After our visit, having collected a small vial of healing dirt, we stopped at a tiny adobe building for dinner. The chef and owner shared the history of Huitlacoche, also known as corn smut, and when we tried it we were hooked! In that tiny restaurant, with its kind and passionate owner, I found God there.

But, that wasn’t the only place in Santa Fe where Spirit put in an appearance. Angels dropped into the clouds above!

Ziplining in Hot Springs, Arkansas, definitely made me feel closer to God, along with hoping for an afterlife!

Thinking about things manmade, the beauty of Dale Chihuly’s art glass on the grounds of Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas comes to mind. Walking through the colors amongst the trees was magical. I found God there.

Walking through any art museum I am likely to turn a corner and be struck by incredible grace. I was at the Art Institute in Chicago and came upon a tiny Monet, no bigger than a postcard, of a boat on a lake. It was exquisite. I found God there.

Spirit tends to find me rather than the other way around, and I am always taken by surprise. It’s a feeling deep inside, and I am left without words to express its glory.

Thanks, Anne Bonfert for this wonderful challenge. I loved sitting with these experiences this morning.

And, thanks to Adrienne Beaumont for her lovely piece that got me to thinking. ;)

And Gerad Carrier’s story about discovering his connection across time and continents.