Home Tools for your Journey July 18

Friday, July 18

For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self.
—Romans 7:22

It’s uncanny how quickly we want to avoid any command or demand that is placed upon us. It's as if we feel that our self-intention, self-determination and self-sufficiency will be undermined if we placidly accept rules that are laid down for us.

Because we live in a culture of individuality and personal decision, we are particularly annoyed at institutional religion that seems to shower us with the commands of God then straitjacket us with guilt when we fail to keep those commands. We see the negative effects of such arbitrary control in the years of therapy required to undo our guilt and shame. Sadly, this only confirms our desire to shun anything or anyone who wants to lay God’s law upon us.

Yet, something happens in the silence of night when we can listen unimpeded to the beat of our heart. A sliver of silver and a flash of gold sweep across our soul as we think of living our lives in alignment with the principles that the Holy One gives us.

There doesn’t seem to be any resistance, any worry about shame or guilt, because somehow we know that our deepest joy, our deepest fulfillment will come when we give ourselves without reserve to the One who created us and knows us and loves us better than we will ever know and love ourselves. We no longer feel a need to reject the way of the Divine—we want only to search out and find that deepest joy, that deepest fulfillment.

O God, let your way become my way.

The Signposts for July are written by Renée Miller and originally appeared on explorefaith.org in 2004.