Seventh day of Lent

Why is it so easy, Lord, not to see your presence in what is going on in life? It seems easier to see the negative and thus harder to see the positive. Is it because the negative in someone else tricks me into thinking there is more positive in myself? Is it because there really is more negative in the world? Is it because the "squeaky wheel gets the grease?" Why are the negative so loud and the positive seemingly so quiet? Even your voice has been called the "still, small voice."

I had to work hard at helping myself and my son to see good progress that had been made across several years of dealing with "intimidating personalities." Why couldn’t we see it sooner? It took some effort of reflection and conversation to realize the good growth that had occurred in his life and mine to see how good he was handling an intimidating personality of the present. Why is it so hard at times to see the good in ourselves in a particular moment in time?

It seems that I’m learning that the loud and noisy are not always what need to be seen and heard. I’ve known for some time that extremely loud people are often loud because they are hiding some insecurity in themselves. Maybe this is true in our spiritual walk as well. The loud and noisy might just be that way in order to distract us from the quiet and the necessary. God doesn’t need to be loud. God only needs to be who God is—love. That is enough.

Lord, help me to see you in all people, in all places, at all times. If you are there, then it is always good. Help me see the hope of who you are for the world—which, by the way, includes me.