"Secret" | Reflection by Patricia Thurston

My God created the universe and every living thing. Through Jesus’ life I see that the nature of God among us is love and compassion. In the Gospels, Jesus says that everything in creation and in our hearts will be revealed, even the most carefully concealed secrets. I work in a library containing vast collections of recorded human knowledge and accomplishment. So much has been revealed, and still the universe and our lives hold secrets. We’ve spent the past several thousand years exploring and thinking about God’s creation and humankind’s place in creation. How can it be that humankind has learned so much about our planet, our universe, and the complexities of creaturely life, and yet we continue to doubt what we see and rebel against the path of wisdom and peace? Powerful leaders rely on words without knowledge to make themselves into gods that engage in destructive strife and power for personal gain. Although it might appear that we cannot do anything to change these oppressors and the consequences of their choices, we know we can turn toward our relationship with God and with each other, through moment-by-moment acts of kindness and compassion. During this Lenten season I am working to be more mindful of the connection between my heart’s hidden intentions and way those intentions are revealed through my actions. These actions can have wider consequences. Together we can defeat these false gods by the nature of God among us.