God Goggles

It is Bonnie Malone’s birthday. I haven’t seen her or talked to her in years, but I love her, and I know she loves me, too. This fascinating and fun woman of whom I write is the vicar of St. George Episcopal Church in Maple Valley, Washington. I hope to visit her there someday and to walk the beautiful outdoor labyrinth that looks as if it has been there since God rested.

I had the pleasure of working with Bonnie and becoming her friend when we worked together at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis. She was certainly “called” there as the associate rector. At the time, I was just figuring out that my purpose there had been a call as well. So for Bonnie, who asked me tough questions that years later I still ponder and seek answers for, laughed with me until we both cried and encouraged my faith journey with passion, I write in her honor about God goggles.

I did not grow up studying the Bible. I grew up in church, loving God, singing hymns, praying and listening to lessons from the Bible, but I did not study it. I was familiar with certain stories. I went to Sunday School, I went to Vacation Bible School, I felt like I had a deep connection with God but I did not have a deep connection to the Word.

It was not until my early twenties and I had taken a job at a church that I began to question what my faith was standing on and work to strengthen it. Our congregation had been asked to consider our baptismal promises and what we were doing with them. Some people were offended by this line of questioning, which I found very interesting. It made me wonder; how am I doing with mine?

I had just been asked to be a godmother for the first time. I wanted to take this seriously. That too was an opportunity to review those baptismal vows. When I started reading them, listening to others read them aloud in class, discussing them, I started to cringe. Oh, no, I thought. I say I’m a Christian, but, oh dear, oh goodness, I don’t think I’m doing a very good job of what I signed up for.

I thought, where do I start? Where do I go for answers? I started studying the Bible. Bonnie helped me. She sat through Bible study after Bible study with other young women at the church. We were all in a similar boat, confused and trying to figure it out. We met in the Montgomery Foyer. We met in the Emison Room. We adjusted for schedule changes. We studied all of Luke. We looked at the Gospel lessons. We learned lectio divina, which had us reading the same passage several times and considering different perspectives in each reading. It was disjointed. It wasn’t easy. Sometimes there were ten people, other times there were two. Sometimes I showed up and it was just me. We were all different ages, all different stages. It took years, but we didn’t quit. I didn’t quit. I was determined. There was something to this Bible. There was something to the consistency in these stories. There was a rhythm…it was like a heartbeat…it was necessary…I had to have it…it was life!

Through all the different meeting times, different meeting spaces and different years that passed, I found my foundation. I realized the lessons in the Bible were my resources for how to live. There were all sorts of revelations and aha moments; they kept us coming back together for more. On one such occasion as we were discussing for the umpteenth time about opening our eyes, our ears, our minds and our hearts to God’s presence in our lives, I stuttered, “It’s like we need a different lens…It’s like we need to strap on our God goggles and keep them tight.” Eyes widened, mouths dropped open. What had I just said? We just need God goggles.

Bonnie had not been with us during the initial discussion. We were just regular non-collared folk gathering for our little lunch Bible Study. It was later that afternoon that I recapped the discussion for her in her sun-filled office at the end of the hall. It’s hard to image that she lit the room up even more when I talked to her about God goggles, but it’s the truth. She lit it up. This is the woman that had first explained to me the thin space between us and God, and she loved the concept.

So for Bonnie’s birthday, I’ve finally written about God goggles. She would want me to mention to you and ask you to consider the tie to water that goggles also have. I’ll let you explore that concept on your own, but consider your baptism and take a look at your Bible again.

It takes work to stay focused on the goodness of this life. The darkness tries to bombard us every day, but there are ways to shade our eyes to protect ourselves and others and to instead share light and love. Try reading the Bible consistently and discussing what you’ve read in a loving group of other seekers. Try going to church with regularity or praying. Walk the labyrinth, meditate, journal, volunteer, draw, paint, knit, cook or spend time exploring God’s creation. These disciplines might be just what you need to center and to remember that you are loved and that you have the ability to share that love with others. For me, studying the Bible is what gave me the inspiration and the strength to put on my God goggles. Life has been so much richer with them. I can certainly tell when I’ve taken them off and need to refocus.

If you have a chance to go to Maple Valley, Washington, I hope you’ll take the time to go meet Bonnie and ask her about the thin spaces between us and God. She lights up with the Holy Spirit when she talks about it. I’ve got proof on film.

Happy birthday, Bonnie! I would send you a pair of God goggles, but I know you already have a great pair.

With love and light,

LT