"Every creature is a glittering, glistening mirror of divinity." attributed to Hildegard of Bingen is my favorite quote this year. I like the language of the glittering, and glistening and the mirror of divinity, the mirror of God. I like this quote because it gives me trouble sometimes.
Looking at a beautiful picture of a wild animal makes me think of God's creativity and majesty to create such awesome beasts. But, then to really watch the life of the animal, to watch what it eats, how it kills, how it lives is not so awesome to my mind sometimes. But, I have to remember that it is. It is a mirror of God. I ponder that mystery.
Then there are people. Now my grandchildren, even when they are choosing to be naughty have my whole heart. I can see God's reflection in them all the time. I would even say that most people I meet on a daily basis, even before the pandemic has limited the number of people I engage with, most of the people show me their reflection of God. But, some people, you know, some people get on my last nerve. Some people don't reflect anything good to me. But, every creature is a glittering, glistening mirror of divinity. If I believe that, then these other people also reflect God. I have to take that on faith.
I have decided that if I can't find God, or good in people, then I really seriously need to pray for them. I need to pray hard. I need to pray for me to feel acceptance and love for my fellow humans, regardless of whether we agree. I need to pray for those others because perhaps there is something they need from God to release the goodness within them.
This week, this coming year, that is my resolution, to look for the mirror of divinity in those I meet. It means that I will work on learning not to judge. It means that if I detach, I will try to do it with love.
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