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All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. |
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| --Julian of Norwich | ||
Confidence in God
Julian's spirituality is filled with hope and confidence in the God "who loves us and delights in us", the God who "will make all things well", the God who created us to live fully the life we have been given.
Thus, this is a response to live life based on what we have rather than on what we lack. What we have is that the God of life is at the center of my existence. I will have everything I need to live fully this moment in time. This view also means that because the God of Abundance continues to be active in my life, "all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
Despite the pains of life, the sorrows, the disappointments, the deceit and corruption of the world, the hatred and violence, the hunger and war, God is still in charge, and He "shall make all things all well".
We are not to be blind or deny the dark realities of life, whether in the worldwide community or in our own personal lives. But we need to name the brokenness and the evil in ourselves and around us, and to own and claim our part in it. Then we can respond in faith and live in hope that the God of abundance will truly resolve and fill our hearts.
Abundance means believing in God's promises as spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm! Plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me and when you pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me, and I will change your lot". ( Jer. 29:11-14 )
Abide in God (Not in The Circumstances)
These words offer us hope and the promise of blessing, despite and in the midst of suffering. They call us to live with eyes, ears, and hearts attentive to God's abiding presence in our lives. They call us to choose life or death: to dwell on God's promises or to dwell on the circumstances of life:
"I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life then that you and your descendants may live. For that will mean life for you, a long life for you to live". ( Deut. 30:19-20 )
John 10:10 states that Jesus came to give us an abundant life. To choose life is to look at life while focusing on what life offers me, instead of getting stuck on what I lack. It means looking at what I know instead of dwelling on doubts and questions. Live with the questions, and, in time, the answers will come.
Living fully means choosing to live consciously the reality of every moment, every event, and every encounter with the conviction that each is a gift from my loving God. I will lack nothing because I know I will have enough because the God of Abundance will always be there going through it with me ( Isa. 43:1-5 ).
Reference:
Abstract from [12][Julian1]. See also Julian of Norwich on CCEL.