" You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13
I remember the day I learned how differently others thought about what "seeking God with our whole hearts" meant. In a summer small group of women, each of us had a different idea. Someone said it meant "inviting God into every event in our lives." Another said it meant spending time in prayer and bible study every morning. Others had other ideas. I can't recall now what I thought. What I remember is how surprised I was at our different understandings. Now, I'm surprised that I was surprised.
We all have such different life experiences, different teaching, and such a variety of personalities, of course we understand spiritual practices differently. Even if the outward form of our practices look similar, the details differ. If I and my friend both spend fifteen minutes praying every morning, we will pray in different ways. One of us might kneel, while the other stands. One might walk, the other might sit in a chair. One may journal, the other speak out loud, as if Jesus is sitting in the opposite chair or walking along with her. Those are surface details–the heart details differ even more. How intense are we? How honest are we? What are we asking for?
What is so wonderful about our dear Papa-God, is his delight in our differences. While we might be surprised (and faintly disapproving) at how someone else approaches Jesus and his father, he delights in our open hearts. He longs for us to find him.
Dear Father, may we long to find you as much as you long to be found.