All in All, He is Everything to Us

In her writings “Revelations on Divine Love,” Julian of Norwich talks about God being our very rest. She explains that in Him we will truly have rest, and we must realize that nothing else in all the world can bring true rest or contentment but God. (You can listen to Julian’s revelations here). In the same way, only God can really provide for us, so looking to the world for the things we need will always be in vain.

A popular phrase in Christian twelve step groups is: “I can’t but He can!”

When I was young I was plagued by anxiety. I was also plagued with depression that as a child, didn’t have a name. Truly I remember feeling like the only way I could survive, was if God helped me. I knew I couldn’t take one step without His help. It was hard to go through these feelings at the time, but now I strangely miss that place, because out of that place came the gift of God’s peace. It came from leaning on Him and as the poem says, “despising as nothing all things created.” To me, that means that we seek nothing on this earth to soothe us. We seek only God.

Julian of Norwich’s revelation of divine love brought that place back to me, in a way, for this is our hope, that God will be our everything. This hope doesn’t change as we get older. He is still everything to us.

One day in the midst of my struggles, I saw a small friendship card, and on it was an elephant trying to reach something high above him in a tree. The card said: “Let go and let God.” You may have heard it said before as well. I let the this simple phrase sink into my heart and it got me through some really hard times.

When you have strong anxiety it can feel like death and doom are right at your doorstep. God reminds me to let go often. Especially lately.

I always say, the easiest thing ~ to let go and let God ~ is also the very hardest because it feels like we need to “do” something, especially when things can’t get much harder.

Did you ever read the book of Exodus and think about how awe inspiring and difficult the plagues would have been? When I was young, I wondered why God continually hardened Pharaoh’s heart whenever he believed. It is because God wanted people to believe in Him and I think, so that people would turn to Him. Perhaps their hard hearts needed to feel the awe of the plagues. If Pharaoh had relented, then God’s power would not have been so evident to them.

Doesn’t it help to know that the One who knows all – is able to help us? He is in charge of the world, whether we see it or not. He lets the plagues and wonder happen to wrangle our thoughts and take possession of our pain… and our joy.

Just now I am realizing that God can and will help me with my purpose in life. I have not been leaving that in His hands, and so I have not entered God’s rest for a long time. Maybe I have not been a person who could clearly identify my path in life… but I can trust that God is the maker, the lover, and the keeper.