He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:2(b)-5

The desire is deep,
isn’t it?
For God to grab
hold of us, to
shine a
burning bush
on our path?
to give us
a sign,
a symbol,
a sound?

Beloved,
don’t over think it.
Instead,
look to Moses,
the one who tended
to ordinary life,
wide open, awake
to his surroundings:
pausing,
gazing,
brave enough
to step toward
the mystery,
toward the
unknown,
curious enough
to engage
the foreign.

Go ahead.
Try it.
Let yourself
fall fully into
your sacred life.
Look around,
crouch down,
bend low —
you’ll see them.
Brilliant blessings
right at your feet.
A world aflame with
bark and leaves,
acorns and moss,
twigs and stones
nurturing the very ground
you step upon.

Soon enough,
a new landscape appears,
a terrain with
secrets you’ll never know,
shapes of love arise
in the very nature
you breeze by
day after day.
And because
you look,
taking time for
the hum of life,
you just may hear
the sound of God
whispering,
“Pause here.
Get barefoot.
Let your toes
feel the dirt.
Here, this place—
the one you are on—
is holy ground.”

You. From the earth.
Connected to the earth.
All is holy.
For this,
I give thanks.

This week, in the U.S. , we celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. May you celebrate eyes wide open to the abundance and blessings at your feet. May you have ears to hear God’s voice reminding you that, indeed, you are standing on holy ground.

Dedicated to my dear friend, Lee Ann, who made me pause and wonder about the burning bush in our midst. Thank you friend.