to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
I visited a lovely scenic and historic garden in St. Louis today. Missouri Botanical Gardens are quite astounding and hold within them many amazing and beautiful secrets. I was deeply moved as I walked and listened to the rich history in the Japanese section of the garden.
That section of the garden was designed and built as a memorial for the Japanese who had been enslaved in the West during railroad construction. Many of the enslaved, once freed, migrated east and settled in St. Louis. The designer was assisted by two monks who felt the entire garden should hold within it secrets that one could only discover through quiet meditation, slow movement and stillness in the garden. Immediately I knew the garden held secrets for me.
There is a Japanese idea throughout the garden: Miegakure, which means appearing and disappearing. You stand in one location and see the beauty before you, then you go further along the same path and that which you saw before changes ever so slightly to reveal a new beauty. So in essence you must look beyond what you might see to find something else beautiful.
I had seen what I thought was all the beauty and the guide then encouraged us to look back down the path we had just traveled. I turned to see something I had missed before and then she told us the very stones on which we had traveled held deeper meaning. Only a third of the stone could be seen, but two-thirds of the stones were underground, unseen. Miegakure, there is still so much within each of us that is yet to be revealed. The tour guides words tore into my heart. What is still unseen that God would like to reveal?
I think of the Proverbs scripture and I suppose from a younger perspective I must have leaned to my own understanding and wanted to believe that God making my paths straight meant the path would be easy to travel. However, I have found new meaning. The paths of faith in this scripture aren't straight, perfectly aligned and easy to travel. These paths are Miegakure paths. They have things hidden that we might miss if we simply look at them and only see what is right in front of us. Or if we chose only one perspective and don't continue to move on down the path even when it isn't easy trusting that regardless of what we just saw or experienced that God has something beautiful that is still yet to be fully seen or revealed.
Whatever path you might find yourself traveling, I pray that you find a beautiful place to meditate and rethink what it is God might be trying to reveal to you and through you. There is beauty, even if you might not see it right at this moment. You must take time to see God as God is appearing and disappearing all the time.
Prayer: God of all creation, you say if we don't praise you, the rocks will cry out. Give us ears to hear every way in which you speak to us even in the subtlest of ways. And give us a voice with which to tell others what we hear. Amen.
Prayer Tip: Sit quietly in nature. What do you hear? Sharpen your listening ears and ask yourself, could God be speaking to me right now?
