The two disciples heard what [John the Baptist] said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” // John 1:37-38
I tend to be a bit absent-minded, and because of this tendency, I sometimes misplace things. I can be forgetful. I get stuck in my thoughts and will do things without realizing it. I lose my phone, keys, shoes, half-drunk coffee, glasses, and laptop regularly. I spend far too much of my time looking for my misplaced items. Chapstick in the washing machine, cold coffee cup in the pantry, phone in the fridge—you get the picture.
One of the most useful phrases from my childhood I hear replayed in my mind is “Where does it belong?” Growing up, when I misplaced things, rather than asking me where I had last seen it (not helpful), my mom would encourage me to look again where it belonged. Because very often, I had absent-mindedly returned the shoes to the closet, or my keys to the drawer, and I just hadn't seen it at first glance. I have spent a great deal of time collectively looking for things, in all the wrong places, when I just needed to look where they belonged. They were there waiting to be rediscovered.
In the spiritual life, too, sometimes we are absentminded. We look, but we don't see. Or we look for the Lord in all the wrong places. We seek fulfillment, happiness, satisfaction, approval, and belonging where we last found it, but not in the right place. People pilgrimage to far-off lands, climb vast mountains, and travel across the earth seeking what is accessible just down the road.
Entire lifetimes have been spent searching for God, as He remains patient in His Real Presence in the tabernacle, waiting for us to discover Him. To discover a life through Him, and with Him, and in Him.
Sister, what are you looking for?
If it is goodness you seek, if it is love, stop searching in all the wrong places. Come to the tabernacle in the nearest Catholic church. Move your feet and go to His dwelling place. We know where He is and He is waiting to welcome you into a life more deeply lived.
Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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