Thursday 2/22/18 3:14 AM
Yesterday a former student quoted the following from Aurora Leigh, by Elizabeth Barrett
Browning.
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,
And daub their natural faces unaware
More and more from the first similitude.
When I read the quote, I thought about how I see patterns
and designs everywhere I look, in bushes, clouds, trees, mountain ranges, swirling
winds, topography, and so on. The patterns usually suggest some sort of mathematical
expression or equation, which often contains the most elementary ideas and
functions. Like some mathematicians before me, I see in these simple equations
the fingerprint of God. I am one who takes off my shoes and contemplates the
wonder of it all, basking in the simplicity of complexity.
Today I read a quote by Phillips Brooks that suggests the
same idea from a different perspective. He writes, “The greatest danger facing
all of us … is that we may fail to perceive life’s greatest meaning, fall short
of its highest good, miss its deepest and most abiding happiness, be unable to
render the most needed service, be unconscious of life ablaze with the light of
the Presence of God – and be content to have it so – that is the danger. That some
day we may wake up and find that always we have been busy with the husks and
trappings of life – and have really missed life itself.”
This week I have been busy with the husks and trapping of
my life, writing tests, correcting tests, attending meetings, writing letters
of recommendation, preparing lectures, teaching classes, and tutoring and counseling
students. I have spent long days immersed in my work but unaware the presence
of God. I need to guard against becoming so busy that I fail to see the meaning
of life and the things that bring abiding happiness. Lord, keep me cognizant of
your presence with me and of your image that is borne by all people so that I do
not miss out life itself.
