Scripture: Jeremiah 50:5
They will ask the way to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant
that will not be forgotten.

Thought for the Day:  Jeremiah urges people to voluntarily turn toward God. Many theologians, and especially those who misread Paul, sick have created an image of humanity that is incapable of doing anything to connect with God—we are all fallen sinners, and it’s only through God’s activity that we are redeemed. But the people who wrote what would become the First Testament understood their relationship with God quite differently. They understood they had a personal responsibility to seek God out in every corner of their lives.

We are, from birth, in a covenant with the Universal Force that created us. It’s an unbreakable bond. Nothing we do can ever sever our connection with God and, because we are literally created from the substance of God, God is always with us. However, we can (and most often do) choose to ignore this connection. Does this automatically mean we’re doomed to a life of trials and limitations? Not at all. Does this mean we’re hopeless, worthless, sinners? Not at all. Doomed to an eternity in Hell? Never. We’re simply spiritually young beings, and like any youngster, it takes education and practice to progress. You don’t play Rachmaninoff the first time you sit down at the piano, after all.

We are on a journey toward wholeness with God, not creatures that have lost that connection permanently because someone a long time ago ate from a magic tree. God didn’t kick us out of the garden. The garden is all around us, still. We’re just learning how to see it more clearly.

Our search for God must be a continuous, ethereal activity that transcends this physical reality, and yes, requires work on our part. Lots of work. Lots of mindfulness. Lots of stopping to think before we speak and act. Lots of soul searching. We must seek God to feel God more deeply in our lives (and we do this through a variety of spiritual practices), and once we feel that connection, we will most certainly always want to turn on and tune into God more frequently. And little by little, as we each connect with God in our own ways, the garden is revealed.

Prayer: Show me your face, O Creator of the universes! I want to know you better than I know myself, so that I might live a life that reflects your love, compassion, mercy, and justice. Amen.