I've been a fan of Thomas Merton for a long time.
He was a monk born in the early 1900's who was gifted with a beautiful mind.
I'm reading through a book he authored called, "No Man is an Island "
The discovery of Christ is never genuine, if it is nothing but a flight from ourselves. On the contrary, it cannot be an escape. It must be a fulfillment. I cannot discover God in myself and myself in Him unless I have the courage to face myself exactly as I am, with all my limitations, and to accept others as they are, with all their limitations.
And as for this "finding of God", we cannot even look for Him unless He has first found us. We cannot begin to seek Him without a special gift of His grace, yet if we wait for grace to move us, before beginning to seek Him, we will probably never begin.
His words are deeply encouraging to me right now, as I am working out my salvation with fear and trembling. It's a process. Lifelong process. I'm in the process of truly living in the only identity given to me that matters. From in my head to the real deal. my heart. A process of remaining, confronting and being found.
