GCW :Thomas Merton
A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means it to be it is obeying Him. It "consents," so to speak, to His creative love. It is expressing an idea which in God and which is not distinct from the essence of God, and therefore a tree imitates God by being a tree. The more a tree is like itself, the more it is like Him. If it tried to be like something else which it ws never intended to be, it would be less like God and therefore it would give Him less glory.
But what about you? What about me?
Unlike the animals and trees, it is not enough for us to be what our nature intends. It is not enough for us to be individual men. For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and of discovering my true self. Trees and animals have no problem. God makes them what they are without consulting them, and they are prefectly satisfied.
With us it is different. God leaves us free to be whatever we like. We can be ourselves or not, as we please. We are at liberty to be real or to be unreal. We may be true or false, the choice is ours. We may wear now one mask and now another, and never, if we so desire, appear with our own true face. But we cannot make these chocies with impunity. Causes have effects, and if we lie to ourselves and to others, then we cannot expect to find truth and reality whenever we happen to want them.
Our vocation is not simple to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own indentity, our own destiny. To put it better, we are called to share with God the work of creating the truth of our identity. We can evade this reponsibility by playing with masks, and this pleases us beacuse it can appear at times to be a free and creative way of living. It is quite easy , it seems to please everyone. But in the long run the cost and the sorrow come very high. To work out our own identity in God, which the Bible calls "working out our salvation," is a labour that requires sacrifice and anguish, risk and many tears. The secret of my full identity is hidden in Him. He alone can make me who I am, or rather who I will be when at last I fully begin to be. But unless I desire this identity and work to find it wih Him and in Him, the work will never be done.
Journal: Who are you, really? Are you on crash course? Are you willing to change direction? What is the journey to heaven like for you? Are you on one?