Wisdom from the Abbey–Mother Hilda–Elephant Story (Mother Hilda has the story of five blind men who were introduced to an elephant. They had no idea what an elephant was and they talked afterwards about their experiences of the elephant. There was no real connexion with the elephant at all. They had only their own experience to put on to this new possibility of knowing the elephant. And so it is with God. Individuals are often very sure they know who God is. They see him as a judge who's out to get you, or afraid to stand up to the evil in the world, or a calculating God who keeps track of every fault and sin. Worse still, individuals can often judge God by his so-called friends, the people who claim to be his disciples. The answer, I think is a simple one. In the words of the scripture, set yourself to know the Lord. Ask him to tell you who he is and when he does, believe him. Listen carefully to what other people tell you about him, only be discerning. Go seek the truth this week.)
view more