God Loves Becoming
"We don't like leaving, but God loves becoming."
Norman Hirsh, "Becoming," Mishkan T'filah
God loves becoming.
Unfolding.
Flowering.
Petal by petal.
We are born to bloom.
Watch a flower opening from a bud. At first, you can hardly see the movement. Everything is held close. Then one petal loosens. Another bends toward the light. What was folded inside begins to meet the world.
Lech Lecha. Go forth, God says to Abram. Leave your land, your birthplace, your father's house. Go toward a land that I will show you.
There is so much Abram cannot see from where he stands. He has to begin before he can know the whole journey.
We don't like leaving.
We love what we know. The familiar room. The voice we recognize. The version of ourselves we have learned to explain. There is comfort in knowing where we belong and what comes next.
And still, something in us moves.
Something wants room.
A flower needs water. Light. Roots held in good earth. Our unfolding needs care, too. People who can hold us close while we change. Places where we can rest. Time to listen for what is asking to open.
We can honor the bud.
It has sheltered so much.
And we can notice the petal beginning to loosen.
What is unfolding in you?
What familiar shape is growing too small?
Where might you take one step toward a life you cannot yet fully see?
Let the questions rest for a moment.
Breathe.
Watch the flower.
Perhaps today, becoming is this small.
A little more room.
A little more light.
One petal opening.
We are born to bloom.
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