January 2: Our Soul Dwells in God

Gregg’s Reflection

Only in recent years have I come to trust that God abides in me. To think that God has quietly been abiding at my depths, waiting for me to discover that truth, is almost too hard to believe. It speaks to the meekness of God, who comes to us as a whisper in the silence — all too easy to ignore in our busyness.

When I first read “you are humility” and “you are meekness,” meekness did not mesh with my picture of God. The more I contemplated this, I realized that God never does more than whisper in the silence. If I am not intentionally listening, I won’t hear it at all.

It’s like the days when I was running a business and always in a hurry, 15 minutes late wherever I went. Driving one day to my next appointment, I passed a young woman on the side of the road with a flat tire. Already late, I kept going — but I felt a twinge of regret. The Bible tells us, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). In my busyness, I often did. Now, I have margin to notice the subtle hints that Spirit is opening a door — a chance encounter, a call to help, or a nudge to reach out to a friend.

As Richard Rohr writes:

“Only one thing is necessary,” Jesus said. If you are present, you will eventually and always experience the presence. It is so simple, and so hard to teach.

Scripture

Abide in me as I abide in you.

John 15:4

Whoever says, ‘I abide in him,’ ought to walk just as he walked.

1 John 2:6

Ancient Writing

Greatly ought we to rejoice that God dwells in our soul; and more greatly ought we to rejoice that our soul dwells in God. Our soul is created to be God’s dwelling place, and the dwelling of our soul is God.

Julian of Norwich

Modern Writing

“Only one thing is necessary,” Jesus said. If you are present, you will eventually and always experience the presence. It is so simple, and so hard to teach.

Richard Rohr, Naked Now, p. 59

Journaling Prompts

• How does it change your outlook to know your soul already dwells in God?
• What distractions keep you from remembering this truth throughout the day?
• What would it look like to live from that awareness in your relationships?
• If you think of God sitting on a bench waiting for you to show up, do you have time?

👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 1 reflection: Abiding/Resting in God