I was leading a retreat a few weeks ago, and on Sunday morning, I was looking out the window and saw these geese walking on the icy surface of the pond. Of course, I wanted to capture the image, so a raced out with my camera and snapped this photo just before they jumped into the safety of the water. I don’t know about you, but I often wonder, after I’ve seen something like the geese on the ice, what does God want me to see in it. Since I believe, as did St. Ignatius, that we can “find God in all things,” there’s always something to discern.
Sometimes, it might be that God wants us to be more aware of the gift of sight, or maybe God just wants to gift us with a funny image, a metaphor for something in our life. As I watched the geese try to maneuver around the slick surface, I thought about areas of my life which I don’t seem to have the best control over. Do I try to take care of everything myself, leaving my actions to instinct or self deception? Am I worried about falling into situations where I may sink, and thus avoiding the risk of going where God wants me to?
As I type these words, a line from Matthew’s Gospel came to mind. “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value then they?” (Matthew 6:26) Yes, friends, we are valuable in God’s eyes. More than we could ever know. Sometimes, we have to step off in faith, trusting that God will bring us safely to where we need to go. God doesn’t want us to be reckless, however, but discerning, always discerning His good and holy will for us.
http://makingallthingsnew.com/images/uploaded_images/000/000/081/original/thin_ice.JPG?1516882249
