Today more and more people yearn for stability, for an inner feeling of security and peace that an acceptance of the surface appearances of life simply doesn't provide. Whether an individual realizes it or not, such a yearning is a desire to know God—to really know Him, not just intellectually as a concept, or in some theoretical way that's far removed from daily life. People want to go beyond accepting what someone else has told them; they want to know God intimately in a way that speaks directly to the heart. Many long for a God they might describe as friend, protector, or tender Father-Mother. This longing to find God often arises from desperate need or dissatisfaction, from reaching financial, physical, or moral dead ends.
I recently heard a moving account on a radio program that showed how desperate need moved people closer to God. Several individuals from a Christian radio station had gone to Ecuador to help the impoverished people there in any way they could. When they arrived, they found the level of poverty far beyond anything they'd ever seen or imagined. But right in the midst of that extreme poverty they found something else they hadn't expected.
To these people who had nothing materially, God had become their all. In their deep need they had reached out to find God and had discovered a pure, compassionate God of love who filled their hearts and faces with love and joy. Everywhere the workers went, they saw children's faces shining with joy, hope, and pure love. Children constantly reached out to share their love in hugs and kisses. And everywhere the children sang.
