Advent 4-- savoring God's love

As I continue to work my way through Whitney R. Simpson's fully human, fully divine, I have arrived at week 4, "Savor God's Love". Through my spiritual direction program and spiritual supervision, I have learned to savor things in the moment. Yet, somehow, I've not thought to "savor God's love". That's still a foreign/unknown concept for/to me. "Rest" in God's love. Maybe. "Receive" God's love. Possibly. But, to "savor" God's love?!?! As I look at what "savor" means in this sense, I found this definition in an article. It means "intentionally focusing your attention on the positive aspects of an experience". 

That takes on a whole different engagement and communication level. Hmmm. Yet, isn't that what a relationship with the Divine is about? A deeper relationship. So, savoring God's love is a natural step in a deeper dive, a deeper engagement, a deeper communication.

As I have most weeks, I've stayed mostly with the breath prayer during the week. I don't have an explanation. That's simply where I am this year. The Psalm at the beginning of the chapter also spoke to me.

And yesterday, in my memories, this quote by bell hooks on love came up:

"Love heals. When we are wounded in the place where we would know love, it is difficult to imagine that love really has the power to change everything. No matter what has happened in our past, when we open our hearts to love we can live as if born again, not forgetting the past but seeing it in a new way, letting it live inside us in a new way. We go forward with the fresh insight that the past can no longer hurt us. Or if our past was one in which we were loved, we know that no matter the occasional presence of suffering in our lives we will return always to remembered calm and bliss. Mindful remembering lets us put the broken bits and pieces of our hearts together again. This is the way healing begins."

-bell hooks

I have read that quote over several times since it came up yesterday. I put it here so I can read it again and again. I will read it slowly, lectio divina style, to see what speaks to me. I invite you to do the same.

The Psalm from the beginning of the chapter was Psalm 143:8 (CEB)-- "Tell me all about your faithful love come morning time, because I trust you. Show me the way I should go, because I offer my life up to you."

I stepped outside the other morning and the morning sky got my attention. I put the verse to a photo.

Here is the breath prayer for this chapter: God, I savor your love. My practice has been to put the breath prayers with a photo and also translate them into Spanish. The Spanish is: Dios, saboreo tu amor.

Here are the photos for this week:

As we near the end of Advent, I rest in what I am able to do and be for this time, for this season. What I am focusing on is attempting to be present (to the best of my capacity), in the here and now, to myself and to others.

May peace, hope, joy, and love make their way into your breathing and life!

Rev. Deb