Julian of Norwich on Getting in Our Own Way

And when God Almighty had shown me some of His goodness so plentifully and completely,

I desired to learn whether a certain creature I loved continued in the good living I hoped had

begun by the grace of God. And it seemed that I got in my own way with this desire to

know about a particular person, for I received no teaching about it at this time. But then I

was answered in my reason, as it were, by a friendly advisor, "Take what you are shown as

general, and look at the courtesy of the Lord God as He shows it to you. For it is a great honor

to God for you to see Him in everything than in one, special thing.

I assented, and thus I learned that it is a greater honor to God for us to know all things in

general than to delight in any one thing in particular. And if I want to act wisely according

to this teaching, not only should I not be glad for any one thing specifically, I should  not be

greatly disturbed for any kind of thing, for all shall be well. The fullness of joy is to behold

God in everything, for by the same blessed power, wisdom and love that He made everything,

our  good Lord leads it to the same end continuously, will Himself bring it there, and when it

is time, we shall see it.

--Julian of Norwich, The Revelation of Divine Love, chapter 35.


photo taken in S. Deerfield, MA