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When I was young and believed that wisdom came only from the mouths of adults, all the stories I was told located God somewhere other than where he was most needed. God would help from a distance, wherever that was…only God could help you…and God is responsible for everything. I was listening the other day to the Rabbi ask questions of the Hebrew school children. His question was, “Where is God…What is God?” My daughter Emma raised her hand (which is enough to make any doting parent happy) and when called on replied, “…in a big red tomato…” Those words really excited me. Now maybe she got it from one of the books we read around bedtime, but regardless, it seems she is closer to the concept of spiritual omnipresence than I ever was at that age. And if God is in you, then maybe you’re responsible for what ails the world, not God.

In the movie Evan Almighty, there’s a great scene where God asks a question to Noah’s wife, “…if you pray for courage, does God give you courage or the opportunity to be courageous?” I believe that God is in every opportunity to do the right thing, to make the world healthier, to show love…so what will you do when your opportunities arise? This is your purpose, is it not?…to find opportunities to show leadership, to make a difference, to transcend our physical selves? Everyone senses the moment of opportunity, fleeting, but starkly memorable where they can make a defining decision. This is where God is found, I think; in these moments, simple, yet compelling moments. Right now, I’m just thrilled my daughter finds God in those things right in front of her, not in some bearded white guy somewhere up there…I don’t want her to find God where I say she is, but where she knows it is…a big red tomato, her tiny hands or an opportunity to change the world. RE.

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