Have You Seen G-d?

I was laying on a blanket in the grass one sunny summer afternoon, my grandson next to me (aged five at the time), when out of the blue, as most children are prone to doing, he asks me, "Mem? Can you see G‑d?"

Oh boy! What a question! Loaded, yet full of potential. So, of course, I answered with a resounding, "Yes, of course you can!" Now, for most children, that might have been enough to satisfy them; but not my grandson. Oh no, he was thinking and asking with little pause for contemplation. Oh, they were the usual questions, like where, and when, and of course, "how do you know when it's G‑d?" I wasn't expecting that one. Now he had me thinking!

I remember one day as a child, my grandmother, of blessed memory, telling me that I should find at least one hundred things to be thankful for, and that way, I would not have time to complain. I realized as I got older that the more you are thankful for, the more you find G‑d. And that is what I wanted to teach my grandson.

But, on a sounder theological note, I must say that the Torah writes, when G‑d spoke to Moses, "He [G‑d] said, "You will not be able to see My face, for no human can see My face and live" (Exodus 33:20). But, in our daily lives, we are, in a sense, able to see Him in the world around us. Although it may not be the face of G‑d, we can certainly see Him through His creations.

If, when we awaken, marvel at the fact that we are alive, then we know that while we slept, it was G‑d who gave rest to our soul, who renewed that spark within it. And since our soul has been returned, we are beginning the day with a soul that has not only seen, but has spent quality time with Him.

That may seem a bit simplistic, or it may seem complicated, depending upon ones ability to reason. For my grandson, it was just another door to be opened. "How does your soul spend time with G‑d, and what does it do while it's with Him?" Got me thinking again!

So I told him this: "You know, I'm not sure; but I would like to think that while our souls are with G‑d, they probably sit nearby and listen to many words of wisdom, soaking in as much as they can, so when they come back to us upon awakening, we are not only refreshed from being tired, but refreshed spiritually, so we can be more thankful for everything we have and for all we see. That could explain part of the reason we "just know" when things are right or wrong."

"Oh," he said.

In our morning prayers, we bless G‑d for our ability to distinguish night from day, for making us in His image, for freedom and healing, for clothing and guidance, etc. And, again, in our prayers throughout the day, we recite the Ashrei (Psalm 145), a psalm of praise extolling G‑d for all His creations and the beauty of His works.

The lingering question though, is how do we see G‑d? It is so easy to simply go through each day oblivious to the beauty around us; to the needs of others; to our own needs, too. Yet there are days we are so self-indulging.

Have you ever wondered why the trees or the grass grow in an upward direction? Perhaps it is because we are so blind to their beauty, or have grown accustomed to their presence that we forget about His. So when we forget to thank Him, they do it for us! Yes, imagine it! The creations in nature rising up to give thanks to their Creator in a silent testimony to mankind! They see G‑d, even when we fail to look.

Listen to the birds as they sing their melodious tunes. They begin with the faintest rays of sunshine and don't stop until daylight is no more. They do what we, often, do not. They sing their thanks to G‑d in a nearly continuous banter of melody. You can see G‑d in their beauty and singing.

Even in the seemingly mundane tasks of everyday living, G‑d supplies needs worthy of our notice. When I sit down to write out the checks to pay my bills, I recognize it as a blessing that I have an income with which to pay those bills. But we often don't look at bill-paying as a blessing.

If you have ever witnessed the birth of a child, you can appreciate the miracle it is! To watch a newborn emerge from a chamber of warmth and security, its first cry, followed by instant quiet when held by its mother… that is truly miraculous! And still, to many, the miracle is lost.

All through my years of living with a disability, I have had people ask how I can manage to be so happy and have such a positive outlook. It is because I can see G‑d working in my life, and I give Him thanks and praise for working in my life. It is from being thankful for each day, each step and each pain-free moment that one can find the healing salve of His compassion.

For my grandson, his thoughts on where and when he can see G‑d are much more simplistic than mine. Perhaps we all need to become a bit more simplistic to really see G‑d in more things. He reasons that you can see G‑d when playing with other kids, when having the pleasure of eating an ice cream cone you didn't know you were getting, and even when you take a shower.

When I asked him how he sees G‑d in those things, his answers were simple. He sees Him when he plays with others because G‑d has given him a playmate and friends; he sees G‑d in an ice cream cone because it is an extra treat he wouldn't normally get, and he is thankful to Him because that's who must have given his mom or dad the idea to buy it for him. In the shower, he knows it is G‑d who made the water he is being cleaned with, and so he feels he can see Him in the water.

It is in the simple things in life where we begin to recognize G‑d's presence, and in those simple recognitions, we can begin to thank Him. If we start as children, it becomes easier as we grow to continually bless Him. It is more difficult to learn to look for G‑d in the simple things if we only begin searching as adults; but we can. Now, if we can only remember to praise Him with blessings when we see Him…

He exists in the simplicity of the wind, sky and earth. He is alive within each of us, if we will only take a moment to look.

So I ask you, "Have you seen G‑d today?"