The other day, I was in a discussion with one of our Carleton Memorial groups that meets monthly. We were talking about whether or not the “proofs for God” were useful, in a practical sense. The short answer was “maybe”.

But the actual answers are not the point. The process to get to the answers is. Regardless of the answers people gave, we ended up in the same place – comfort, self-confidence, belief that our lives had purpose and our “task” (if I can use that word) was to live that out without forcing the issue.

This group takes time to look at events in everyday life, our own lives and our faith. We do this not just for the fun of it. While we do think it’s fun, we do this because it does two things: (1) It grounds us in our lives. (2) It helps us tap into the inspiration every human needs to live life.

We call this any number of things – faith discussion, friendship group, bible study, small group ministry, prayer group – the list goes on and what’s appropriate changes from experience to experience.
Even our concept of G_d changes – sometimes even from the beginning of the discussion to the end. I always say that’s a sign that we’re changing, not G_d.

It’s from there that an image of G_d emerges that I think transcends all experience: The flywheel.
(For those of you who don’t know what that is – a flywheel is a part of any mechanism that generates power. It keeps the mechanism operating in a stable manner, principally to make up for variances in power.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMazLuxpzxE

For you theology geeks out there, think of the flywheel as a physical manifestation of Tillich’s ultimate truth – with a wrinkle. It’s not a truth that we search for from “heaven above” but one that lingers around you in the air, always available for you to breathe in. That truth brings you into the realm of intuition; not a blind, foolish, risk-taking intuition, but one that almost leads you by the hand to keep you steady as the world unfolds before you. It keeps you steady, come what may. Not to endure or to cope or to simply bounce back. It’s more than that. It’s there so that you literally thrive no matter what.

G_d is your flywheel.

To be in relationship with that flywheel is to let its presence feed you at a steady rate so that you don’t need to force the issue – even as you make challenging decisions in your life and continue to walk forward.

And so what of this little meandering journey?

One lesson for today is that we can be steady when we trust in that Spirit around us, finding its presence within us and begin to search for it in others. And this, BEFORE we try to do anything else.
Let G_d be your flywheel.

Be blessed. Be a blessing.

Rev Eric Lukacs