Wednesday July 19, 2017
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote:
Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
Whether we are in the heart of the city or in the remotest wilderness, God’s presence envelopes us. “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there,” observes the Psalmist (Ps. 139:8). However, not everyone uses their spiritual antennae to look for God and recognize the holiness that surrounds them. Moses does. He is willing to explore the curious case of the fire in the bush, and he encounters God in its midst, and recognizes that the place he stands is holy ground. And in encountering God, he finds his mission.
Shall we be content with blackberries, or seek the One who is at the heart of the fiery bush?
