The Promised Land is Everywhere

This evening I was messaging with someone very dear to me.

She typed quickly, referencing a recent disappointment. I ached with her, felt the weight of longing. Then the blue bubble on the screen spelled out her classic response when challenges come: “I have to remember that there is no promised land on earth…”  Before I could respond she added, “I always get knowing head nods from my friends when I say that.”

But she went on to explain another take. There was a time when she said “there is no promised land on earth” to a particular person (another one who is very dear to me), and he said, “Yeah, or you could say that the promised land is everywhere.”

“It’s kind of revolutionized my thinking,” she added.

Me too.

We’ve stopped messaging, but I’m still chewing on this. Do I get bogged down in my own view of things in a fallen world that is separated from heaven, or do I choose to emphasize the presence of the divine in all things?  Right here?  Right now?  

The promised land is everywhere.