Welcoming the Stranger Within

“Each of us is a mystery. We try to understand and fix the problems that have contributed to our sense of alienation or disease. We forget that we will never plumb the marvelous depths of our own being. What we see and know is like the tip of an iceberg. Below the surface is God’s handiwork in all its richness and depth. 

"We are strangers to ourselves, and the most appropriate posture we can adopt is awe…. And a willingness to allow the Spirit to reveal more of what is hidden below the surface. This is a pilgrimage, a journey of discovery and surprise. And the welcomed stranger within enables us to honor the mystery of others who travel with us.” Elizabeth J. Canham

These thoughts remind of me the season of Epiphany in which we are in. The season of the Church calendar where it is evident that a baby has been born, that God has been revealed in new ways, that He desires to do a new thing in me, yet I can’t quite wrap my mind around it.  

The more comfortable I am with this mystery, the more I am able to yield to the Spirit, being patient and kind to myself. Honoring the process, letting the hidden get healed, seeing what was born in me mature and grow.

The journey of the wise men is our journey, too. Waiting, watching, following an unknown light. To a place where we feel welcomed by the Christ child. And are able to welcome ourselves, offering others the touch we have received from Him.

How do you feel welcomed by God today?   How can you welcome the mystery of the new thing God is doing in you?   

BETH