GOD GOES BEFORE US PROTECTING OUR BACK

The Dark Night of the Soul, as John conceived it, is actually an inner state that may or may not have anything to do with external circumstances. It is an experience of being stripped of all the spiritual feelings and concepts with which we are accustomed to propping up our inner lives. It is a plunge into the abyss of radical unknowingness. This spiritual crisis, John assures us, is a cause for celebration.....  Fr Richard Rohr, "Daily Meditation," September 8, 2017

That quote gives me much comfort. I was introduced to such a thought many years ago, and, who's kidding whom, it scared me enough that I resisted it. By resisted it, I mean I ignored it. It was sometime later that the concept was again brought to me...and then again...and again...until one fine day: An abyss of radical unknowingness became my sliver of gold.

The reasoning mind gift is: It was only in looking back that I "got" it. An all but unrealized BFO is that most of my spiritual gifts are realized thusly...in looking back with grateful memories as my guide.

For instance, the first time I walked into a meeting of a fellowship that was to change my life, I was sick, sad and sorry. I walked out a changed woman. My reasoning mind was only impressed with the fact that I had attended the meeting. It took awhile before I realized I was changed, and only in looking back did I see that I had been changed from that one-hour meeting.

Reasoning mind: We're stewing in our own juices, begging God to make an unfixable problem go away. Spiritual mind: Our Father within has already shook it off...we are already free.

Even as we are praying to be changed, we have already been swept clear of the cobweb that had us fearfully nattering. There. That's why a thank you is called for before we are consciously aware that our crooked place has been made straight.

Not only that, but I'm guessing that the three o'clock in the morning rues, regrets and remorses are our angels arm-wrestling with our ego...we can welcome them with our thank you and go back to sleep.

If the only prayer we ever prayed was thank you, that would suffice. -- Meister Eckhart

Thank you.