Wander

I have been told I have “thought islands”.  My mind wanders.

When it comes to faith, my mind wanders too.  Sometimes it wanders to The Bible and books and blogs.  Sometimes to conversations I have with people about faith.  Sometimes to examples of people I know who have shown great faith in their lives.  Sometimes it wanders to the why? the who? the when? the what the heck? –  to all the questions.  Sometimes it settles on the truth and the promise.

Sometimes I wander into the Catholic church, sometimes I wander into the Evangelical church.  Sometimes I pray alone, sometimes I pray with my family or in my community.

Sometimes I choose a long walk over going to church.  Sometimes I meet God in Bible study and other days I decide to meet him in yoga.  Sometimes I’m in the mood for meditation and sometimes for raucous conversation.

I’ve been known to meet God on a beach with a beer.  I also like to meet him in the mountains in the silence.

I’ve found Him in neighbors offering help, offering food, offering understanding.  I’ve met Him in tragedy.  I’ve found Him in the forgiveness of friends.  I’ve found Him in the quiet acceptance of others.  I’ve met Him in the smiles and tears of my children.

I’ve encountered Him on vacation and then, as always, I have been greeted by Him on my safe arrival home.

He was there in my youth and my teens and my college years and my 20’s.  I wandered.  But was I lost?

I heard a preacher speak about the Prodigal Son again today on the radio.  He talked about the son who stayed home, who was mad when the prodigal son was welcomed home with embraces and kisses and a party.  He was jealous.  The preacher said something profound.  It really hit me.  He said, “The older brother was just as lost as the prodigal son.  He was just lost at home.”

Sometimes we are lost at home.  We are lost in our minds and we can’t get out.  Sometimes we are lost in our habits and our “need to be right” and our learned limitations.  Just because we are home, doing as we are told, following all the rules does not mean that we are on the right path.

Sometimes we need to wander.