Home Tools for your Journey July 1

Tuesday, July 1

When he sees you he will be glad in his heart…
—Exodus 4:14

Some people have the ability, just by their presence, to bring joy and delight to our heart. We’re often most aware of this when we have been away from them for some time, and at the moment of reunion, our soul feels like it is being blown up like a colorful balloon.

All worries and anxieties that previously dogged us are blissfully absent. We do no dwell in past or future time. We do not have to think of what to say, or how to act. In fact, we don’t have to think at all. We need only to bask in the pure happiness of the moment.

We are skeptical of ever experiencing those same emotions when we encounter God. We feel unfamiliar with the on-going nature of God’s presence in our lives, and we have been so programmed to be afraid of God, that sometimes even the thought of meeting God strikes fear in us.

Yet imagine the feeling of Mary when she saw her son Jesus again at the resurrection, after having helplessly stood by as he died. It must have been an unbelievable reunion. She must have felt an unbelievable jump in her heart. Meeting God is like coming home to a warm and safe and extravagantly joyous place.

Don’t be afraid—instead be on the lookout.

O God, when I see you let my heart be glad.

The Signposts for July originally appeared on explorefaith.org in 2004.