Closing Remarks

It is a sad fact that I often have to think quite purposefully about how God fits into my life. God often seems more than set apart; his grandness can also be read as silence. At first look, God might seem to be appear strangely absent from our social lives, public discourse, and academic interests. Alternately, even great heroes of the Christian faith such as Mother Theresa have openly admitted to experiencing a crushing emotional isolation from God. However, The recognition of these realities need not lead to depression and despair. Instead of seeing this reality as the grand conclusion to a painful story, the Christian views this silence as the opening scene of a great drama.

It was our God who flattened the distance between us and Him. It is our God who continues to do so. God’s seeming absence provides room for His grand entrance after we make an invitation for Him to enter. Like some strange and powerful medicine, God brings life wherever He is allowed entry. The futility of human plans and the dark night of the soul can then be transformed by the light of the revelation and rising sun that follow.

I hope that the stories, thoughts, poems, and art in the pages that follow will serve a dual purpose. Firstly, may they be a testament to the light seeping into our lives. Certainly, no one can claim to have fully tasted the delights that the LORD has prepared, but sharing our relief and exhilaration at the few drops that we have tasted sets us on the road to thanksgiving, praise, and worship. What could be a more appropriate response to the living God? Secondly, I hope that the recounting of reflections, feelings, and thoughts on what it means to see God come into our lives will serve as an invitation to all. What beauty is revealed by God’s presence in our respective disciplines? What life can He bring to our social institutions? What hope can He bring to our emotional lives and life narratives?

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
-Psalm 34:8 (ESV)