Simplicity of Truth

Kayaking at Globe Trotter

Kayaking, rock climbing… rain, sun, ice… one hour… one building… Where am I?!? Globe Trotter!!! During Saturday's day trip to Dresden, I stopped by this REI-esque store where there’s a pool for kayaking, a rock wall, a rain-room, and freezing room. Yeahyeahyeah! Along with the day-trip to Dresden, this week was packed with 2 concerts at the castle (check out http://lizandthelions.bandcamp.com/), a dance and celebration for the September school’s graduation, and a challenging topic for lectures..

Some thoughts from the lectures:

G-d is complex, G-d is infinite, and yet, G-d is simple. David Gava talked about the Holy Spirit and, in many ways, the complexities of living a Christian life. Truly living a life for Christ, he explained, is not easy- it requires sacrifice, discipline, and a real leaving behind the things that draw us away from G-d. I found myself questioning… if Christianity is so complicated- if there is so much I have to understand and so many specific things I have to know, have to learn about G-d, is it really Truth? Doesn’t having child-like faith mean that there is a simplicity to Truth?

I was walking through the woods next to the castle, loving the spring sunshine, when it became clear: Yes, truth is simple. G-d can be found in being present to each moment- in paying attention to life. If I am present to people, to my surroundings, to my senses, I will find that G-d is constantly there. And yet G-d is so infinite that G-d is in all of this and in the words and doctrine that David was describing. The words and doctrine are not there to make G-d seem distant and hard to reach, but to help me know G-d more closely. The challenge is to use doctrine to encourage and inspire rather than leave me feeling distant and separate from G-d.