I don't need to open myself so that God can shine in,
I need to open myself so that God can shine out.

— Heard in an open talk

I have long felt that God is not separate from me, but that God lives within me, within you, within all of us, and among us. Each of us has a divine spark within us, and it can shine out to illuminate others, if we only let it. This is nowhere more evident to me than in a meeting. The suggested AlAnon closing states that we love each other “in a very special way.” That special way is God's love, the unconditional love that offers all and asks for nothing in return. I felt that love in my very first meeting, although I didn't recognize it for what it was. I just knew that I was accepted, welcomed, and not judged.

It is easier for me to turn my will and my life over to the care of the God who is within me, than to the impersonal “boogie man in the sky” that was my image of God from my childhood. I know that the God in me wants the best for me, and that I can hear God's will if I will open my heart and quiet my chattering mind.

A meditation for September 8, 2013.

God is In – Billy Jonas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr304P9jpLk