the healing hands of God

“How do you know that God is present?” is a question I have been asked more times than I can count. But although it is an easy question to ask – especially to someone who has made a life commitment because of a deep belief in that Presence – it is not an easy question to answer. Being born and raised within a Tradition of belief and having been schooled in the rubrics of the faith, the “know” part is fairly easy to answer; the “how” part, not so much. It takes time, examination, reflection on previously lived moments to recognize God present in the passing of a day, and still it often ends up as a piece of knowledge: the flowering tree I passed on my way to work; the $20 I found in my coat pocket the day I forgot my lunch; my nephew’s laugh-out-loud enthusiasm of a rolling tennis ball; the extended deadline of the assignment I didn’t finish…

But sometimes, some times, I recognize God without having to reflect back. I am able to feel God’s presence in the moment – I think it’s called Grace. It doesn’t happen a lot; it doesn’t even happen often, at least not to me. But when it does, it reaches a place deep, deep within, and fills me to overflowing. I recently met someone in whose presence I feel the Presence of God. The relaxing encounters have been so profound that I have been reduced to tears when we meet. I’m not sure she has any idea how sacred for me her time is; how through her hands I experience the healing hand of God; how grateful I am to be able to feel the Grace in the moment; how I thank my God whenever I think of her...