The upward rule

Everything points upward. Toward God. I call this the upward rule. God made this rule so people could find Him easily - that no matter where they looked His children would see signs of a love that pervades the entire universe. We see this throughout nature and all living things. God teaches us through these holy pointers if we allow Him to. They are ladders, stepping stones to Him. As long as we keep in mind that these are stepping stones and not the ultimate destination things go well.

Sin points upward by it's very lack of God. Often people turn away from sin because they begin to realize that they cannot find what they really desire by misusing the world. They develop a repulsion for what they are doing and God uses this chink in their armor to draw them back to him. To be honest, this is the route I took and God brought me back to Him through sheer digust. I cried out to Him, an honest cry, and He turned me to face Him. Before that, I was definitely facing away from Him. Not only facing away but hiding to the best of my ability. I know how ridiculous that is now but at the time I was blinded by my own sinfulness and didn't have the right perspective on life. God seems to have to use this reverse-grace method a lot in our days. It makes me want to shout "Please! Turn to Him now! You'll save yourself so much grief and pain and you'll save others from this grief, too!" When we are not in a state of grace it seems like everything is against us. The truth is that this is caused by our own hard hearts. God is not against us. We are against Him.

When we return to a state of grace God starts restoring us. Sometimes it feels like having a painful operation but grace sees us through. During our purification we begin to see a bigger picture forming. As the soul is cleaned up more and more grace comes through. Eventually the grace POURS through because nothing is holding it back. The dam has been removed and there are no more obstacles. We begin to see that everything is a divine pointer that points upward. People, creation, things...it all points to God. God restores us and we live on love. We begin to see His Hand everywhere and we wonder "How could I have failed to notice this. Everyone and everything is encompassed by God's love."

Father, I am awed by your love and kindness. Thank you. Have mercy on those in mortal sin. Their suffering is so great and they don't understand why. In your goodness reveal yourself to them, that they might be healed of every wound. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen