'Become what you already are,

find Him who is already yours,

listen to Him who never ceases speaking to you,

own Him who already owns you'.

By St Gregory of Sinai (13th Century)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the comings and goings of life, I often stop and remember my need to 'trust the process'. Sometimes it is hard to 'trust the process', however it is always helpful. By this I mean that we need to realise that our lives are unfolding as they should, and God is in full control.

This week I read the quote above and was gripped by the first line, 'become what you already are'.... I believe that our task is a simple allowing of God to create in us what He already knows is in our best interest. God has a purpose for us all, and if we become quiet and still before Him, He will guide us into whatever His wish is for us to become. Our part is to trust the process.

I remember nature and its attitude to growth. In my nearby hills, magnificent rhododendrons and silver birches flourish in the shadow of the dense forest. These species are not native to Australia, here where I live. Yet the trees seem to love it here. These trees stand garbed in tender green leaves, swaying gently to the warm summer breeze. They send their roots deep into the soil where they happen to be planted. They drink in the mists and sun and storms of our Dandenong Ranges, and .....they become.

Our Australian seasons are upside down for these trees, but they are true to their own nature anyway. They thrive where they are, and are content to become, because they are content to be. They trust the force of life within them, shaping them to become exactly what suits the spot in the hills they find themselves.

D.H. Lawrence said, in a letter to a friend: "You have striven so hard, and so long, to compel life. Can't you now slowly change, and let life drift into you? Surely it is an even greater mystery and preoccupation even than willing, to let the invisible life steal into you and slowly possess you".

This is the clue. As we allow God to develop us in His ways, and become what He wants us to become, we quieten our strivings until we allow 'the invisible life' to take us over. The 'invisible life' is God, Who gradually possesses us.

Gregory of Sinai was correct when he stated:

'Become what you already are, find Him who is already yours, listen to Him who never ceases speaking to you, own Him who already owns you'.

(C). 2008. Christine M. Jones Droplets from Life