In the 13th century, there was a marvelous giant of a man, who was for Germany much of what Patrick was for Ireland. His name was Meister Eckhart. Meister Eckhart was a great preacher and teacher, a fascinating individual, but the reason he was so gifted was that he had an enormous inner spiritual life. He was really a mystic. Meister Eckhart went so far with changing the concept of God for his people that the church began to try him as a heretic. He died right before he was to be condemned as heretical.

Here's one of Meister Eckhart's famous statements: "The eye with which you see God is the same eye with which God sees you." Now, let me say that again in a couple of different ways. If you tend to see God, let's say, as a policeman, the only way you can feel God coming into your world is as a policeman. Or if you see God, for example, as a Santa Claus, whatever that might be, the only way you can receive God's presence into your life is as a Santa Claus figure. How you and I perceive God is the way we understand God's presence in our lives.

It behooves you and me to constantly try to take that lens with which we see God and make it more of a wide-angle lens rather than a telephoto lens. We want to expand it as much as we can so that we might receive from God more than we have ever received from God before in our lives. The more we can do this, the more we're blessed by the enormity of the presence of God's love and compassion and acceptance of me and of you.

Copyright ©2000 by The Rev. Dr. Daniel P. Matthews

--from "What is Your Concept of God?" by the Rev. Dr. Daniel Matthews
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