"For most of us, the summit of a face-to-face encounter with God appears to be exceedingly remote. Our lives are mostly a matter of keeping body and soul together. We do what it takes to pay the rent or mortgage, to put food on the table and gas in the car. We spend our time and energy trying to stay healthy, look presentable, and care for those in our charge. If a reporter were to follow us through our day with a video camera, recording all our activities and conversations, it would be unlikely that any of us would make the evening news. But it is right here in the midst of our not-very-newsworthy lives that engagement with God is possible. Heaven, Henry David Thoreau has said, is under our feet as well as over our head.
"When I forget that both I and the ground I stand on are holy, it becomes hard for me to be present to simple tasks like preparing a meal, cleaning my house, or shopping for groceries. And it becomes difficult for me to relax: to take a leisurely walk, to spend time with a friend, or to watch a movie. I feel that instead of doing such mundane and unproductive things I should be busy saving the world or, perhaps, writing a book! I am not usually aware of why I am restless, frustrated, hard on myself, and judgmental of others. When I reflect on this, I sometimes conclude that I am unhappy because I am made for union with God, and that nothing and no one can satisfy my deepest longings. There is truth in this, but in reality it is most likely my failure to recognize God staring at me in the mirror that is the true cause of my dissatisfaction.
"We are spiritual beings, but, unlike full-blown mystics past and present, we do not generally walk with an awareness of this truth. Fortunately, the reality of our communion with God is not dependent on consciousness or feeling; rather, it comes with the territory of our humanness. Whether it looks like it or not and whether we feel it or don't, we are mystics because we are a dimension of the mystery we call God; our very DNA is spiritual."
