Right Before Me: Getting God

I am not fantastic at math, but I would guess that 75 percent of reader emails I receive start and end with the brokenness of feeling that God has escaped them. Yes, I get it. He does seem quite elusive. And there are always those folks who totally seem to “get” him. They probably seem like “perfect” Christians.

Or, my favorite: “She is super religious; she really ‘gets’ God.”

I have said it myself. Alas, I am convicted of this; we all have him. Yet I have decided we are just too caught up in the pursuit of perfection so that, in turn, we will experience or “get” him. Simultaneously, comparison is such a loud beast, and the sight of someone else’s excellence drowns out the still, small voice of a gentle and adoring, albeit invisible Father.

Personally, I am easily distracted by shiny things. And I am prone to focus on what can actually be seen and heard.

It was only recently that I realized my predisposition to baubles and bows and a million other intrusions left me blaming Jesus instead of looking directly into the light. In all fairness, it seemed like God’s fault. After all, he said, “Seek and you will find ” (Matt. 7:7 NIV).

And I was seeking, or seemingly so. I had my monogrammed Bible, highlighters, pens, embroidered Bible bag, books, studies, timer, and a special corner in my living room just for experiencing the God I chased.

Certainly, I thought, these are the components of “getting him.” So I would start my day with fresh eyes and a readied heart, only to find myself struggling through the rest of the day, hard “lessons” clipping at my heels. To me, this counted as missing him.

Perhaps, you have felt this too? That life’s maladies and frequent bouts with chaos count you among those having an elusive walk with the God of all?

Recently, I was at a professional sound studio, recording an audiobook. Reading along with the text, I was forced to stop and ask the technician if he could hear what I was hearing through the walls of the studio. In the recording booth next to mine was a band recording an album.

I held up my hand and excused the recording, “Hey, can you hear that? I can hear the band next door. Won’t that mess up my recording?” The tech answered, “No, you don’t hear that; you feel it.”

I am not the ruler or the boss of auditory processing, nor am I a sound technician. But I had to argue. I know when I can hear a sound.

“I am pretty sure I can hear that?”

The technician expanded. “Well, I understand. But you are feeling the bass. Your senses confuse this with hearing the sound.” To prove his point, he played back my recorded voice, and he was correct. There was no background band noise, only me, sounding a little like a strangled duck.

I was entirely shocked and perplexed. And I was forced to ask myself, what else am I missing? What else is fake noise? What is real and what is not? What have I gotten and what do I believe has escaped me?

I rushed back to my hotel from the studio. To me, the lesson in sound was a real glimpse into what was right in front of me. I grabbed my Bible bag and a cup of hot tea and went on the hunt for him, the God of my heart, to explain it all. What I entirely craved was to seek and find all that continued to mystify and confuse me.

Sound familiar?

What I believe is at the heart of the hunt is the disbelief He is everywhere.

Certainly, no eye has seen and no ear has heard, but at the same time, I have met with many who have had amazing experiences with God, often daily. Furthermore, I cannot subscribe to a God who only communes with some of hs children. He is a better parent than I, and I would not neglect one of my children in favor of another. Although, if I am to be honest, sometimes I forget to call the teen baby to dinner.

But this hearing when I was actually feeling incident left me to ponder the miraculousness of my creation. And this led me further down the rabbit hole of how perfectly designed we are, in his image, and to use the gift of the senses to experience him in a deeply personal way.

He is everywhere and in everything. Honeysuckle on the wind, the waft of coffee at 6 a.m., a sunset, bells chiming, birds singing, baby feet, toddler cheeks, or the sweet juice of a ripe summer peach. Why do I believe there is only one way to “get” God?. Instead, I can choose to believe he is for me and with me and near me always. A shift in my mindset is the shift that directs me to experience him, constantly.

Oh man, I don’t want to brag, but I think I finally get him.

Jami Amerineis an author, speaker, and artist. She and her husband, Justin live in the North Houston, Texas area. Jami and Justin have six children ranging in age from 6-25. Jami is a three-time published author and royalty artist. Jami and Justin are advocates for foster care and adoption. You can learn more about Jami at sacredgroundstickyfloors.com.

Photograph © Priscilla du Preez, used with permission