Standing on Holy Ground (reposted)

Have you ever found yourself standing on Holy Ground? Like, as soon as you put your foot down, you just knew it. Well, that is where I am. I think you might be here too. Let me explain.

From time to time, I have verses swirl around in my mind as if trying to tell me something. Often there is a lesson to be learned. For the past week, I have been fixated on Exodus 3:5, where God says to Moses, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

I sense that just like Moses, we too are standing on holy ground. Confused and probably a little scared, I am sure he didn’t really know what was going on. But he did something incredible nonetheless. He listened.

• Our first lesson, learn to be fully present.

Just as Moses could not move forward or back, God is calling us to stand here in this very moment of time. This is the now.

As I imagine Moses standing there, in awe of a bush that would not burn, I am certain he was uncomfortable. Yet, he did not turn and run the other way. He stood there in his discomfort and discovered the sacred. That’s what happens when we learn to be fully present.

Richard Rohr  says, ” Of all the things I have learned and taught over the years, I can think of nothing that could be of more help to you than living in the now.”

This holy ground I speak of is the now. It is the present moment. How you live in it is up to you? But if you are willing to stand still and open yourself up, God will do amazing things. This is where miracles happen, forgiveness is given and reconciliation begins. This is where division dissolves and freedom is found.

Being in the present requires us to be vulnerable. As a conflict avoider, this is a difficult place for me to be. Opening myself up leaves me feeling exposed. So, I usually keep my thoughts to myself. This is the opposite of living in the now. By not opening up, I barricade myself in. If I am in and you are out, how can we be in relationship?

But, God calls us to be in relationship with one another. And Jesus shows us how. First with God and then with everyone else.

• Our second lesson, learn to be in relationship.

Today, in a world so divided, my soul longs for unity. We are one. One people, serving one God. We are called to stand right here and be here for one another. When we do, we are standing on holy ground.

Rohr finishes up by saying, “The presence of God is infinite, everywhere, always, and forever. You cannot not be in the presence of God. There’s no other place to be. It is we who are not present to Presence.”

As I re-read the story of Exodus 3, I find our final lesson.

• Our third lesson, recognize God is calling us.

“The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

On today of all days, God is calling us. And He is not just calling us. He is calling us by name. We are representative of God, holy as He is holy. We are to love one another just as God loves us.

I want to encourage you to practice being in the relationship. Talk with people that agree with you and people who do not. Learn to listen. Practice being present, recognizing that if you push passed the uncomfortable, you will find yourself standing on holy ground, the place where miracles happen.

Let us pray;

God of the now, Spirit of the present moment, teach us how to love one another like You love us. Show us how to push passed our discomfort into that sacred space where You are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. – Don’t miss the video below. If you can’t see it, open this message from your browser. Leave me a comment below and be sure to share this message with a friend. Post on Facebook and tag me in. Until next time, just know that you are standing on holy ground. -M