“God is a nudge.
Not in the nagging, annoying sense,
but in a gentle, leaning-into sense.” - Gregory Boyle, from
Barking to
the Choir: Power of Radical Kinship
Anyone who’s a cat lover knows that feeling
of their cat brushing against their leg, as they saunter by. It can happen because there’s someone new in
the room, and they are proclaiming, “This human is mine,” or it can mean “You
know you haven’t fed me yet. Just sayin’...”
But there’s another way too that certain
cats can get their message across.
I
used to have a beautiful, long-haired gray cat (rather, he had me).
He and I had many little games we played together; he was delightful,
and I loved him dearly. He had this way
of letting me know he was there that was unique to him: When I was working at the kitchen sink, he
would walk up behind me, start to brush against my calves – then he would stop – stay there and then L-E-A-N. It wasn’t
annoying and it wasn’t nagging; his leaning against me was gentle but
firm. He knew I was there, and I knew he
was there.
So
when I read Fr. Boyle’s description of God, I could relate it to the years I
had with our Little Bit (or Kevin, as I used to call him). Like him, God nudges to let us know He is
here. Like a dear cat, God can warmly
and firmly lean into us, proclaiming we are His own.
As
I continue growing in my spiritual life, I can often sense when God is actively
working in my life. It’s a way of
discernment that comes from spending lots of hours solely in God’s
Presence. (It takes practice and
devotion to know it is God and not just my ego.) I can tell when God is nudging me gently forward. Sometimes when I hesitate, God leans in until
I sense God is with me, and then I can go forward in confidence. But I need to be aware of God’s subtleties.
We’ve
heard that God is found in that “still small voice.” In other words, God doesn’t approach in chaos
and destruction. God is waiting
patiently for us to listen for guidance – God doesn’t mindlessly shove us into situations
that will harm us. God is found in the
quiet – God rarely, if ever, uses the cacophony of life in this highly charged,
overly loud, often angry, me-focused world to reach out to us. (But then again, God can use whatever method
God wants!)
So
today, I invite you to be aware. Is God nudging you toward something that
brings a sense of peace? Is God gently
encouraging you to be aware of the Spirit's guidance?
Is God leaning in to let you know that the Divine is all around you?
I
hope your day is blessed, and I hope you become aware of God’s immeasurable
love for you. 💙
