When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors,
saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’
Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.
—Luke 15.9-10
In centering prayer my mind kicks in,
wanders, thinks, does its thing.
Even if it’s a thought about how wonderful God is,
it’s a thought, a calculation. Not pure awareness.
I let go of it, and return
to simply being present for God.
That moment of return is repentance.
And it’s a source of delight for God.
Not mere satisfaction, as in a debt paid,
but rejoicing, as in a hope fulfilled, a gift received.
Imagine that—God delighted every time I turn around,
every time I release a resentment,
every moment I open the door of my heart to grace.
How could God be angry with our sin
when she is so constantly delighted?
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Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net