Eureka!

I took my dad to the train station yesterday (he takes the train to the airport--sooo much easier than driving to Newark!). It was sad to say goodbye, but he and Mom will be up to visit again in June. It's tough being so far away from family. I do, at times, envy folks back home who have family nearby. It would be fabulous to get to see my parents on a whim, or to even have a regular (free) date-night sitter. That part I do miss. But there are things that I don't miss, and there are opportunities both Mike and I have here that we would have never had back home (yes, I still call it "home", believe it or not!). In spite of the commute, Mike likes his work. I enjoy my work at the Montessori school--I think it's helped me become a better mother for W. I learned, long ago, not to try to predict the future. I have to remind myself to live in the moment and enjoy the life that I have, for it is a good one.
Our pastor's message yesterday was spot-on for me. The title of the sermon was "Eureka!" and the Gospel lesson was from Luke 24:13-35. Don't run for your Bible--it's the passage about the two men on the road to Emmaus who encounter the stranger (Jesus) and walk the 7 or so miles to their house without recognizing with whom they are traveling. They talk about the "strange events" that have happened over the past few days, still none the wiser as to whom their companion is. It's not until they get to their home, invite the stranger in for a meal and begin to eat that they catch on. At the very moment they realize who's with them, Jesus disappears. In their excitement, they go find the remaining 11 disciples (remember, Judas is dead at this point) and share their story. So the gist of the pastor's message was this: What you're looking for is usually right there in front of you, you just have to really want to see/believe it. He talked about how many great scientists (Archimedes, Einstein) made their great discoveries in a similar fashion. He broke down the process into three steps--

1. Rigorous study/preparation (searching for the answer);
   
2. Period of rest (that's when the discovery happens);
3. Joy (Eureka! I figured it out!).

From my own experience, that's how it is with God. After years of questions, doubt, denial, study, exploration, etc, I began to get God. I say "began to" because I don't think finding God is a one-time, one-shot thing. I think it's a process, a process people of faith work with on a daily basis. I don't think we're supposed to get God, really, because to do so would induce complacency. Instead, I think we're supposed to marvel at God's wonder and grace, and treat each day as yet another chance to experience God's power. So I suppose Step #3, for me, isn't a snapshot in time, but rather an ongoing experience. As in, each day should be filled with joy and "eureka's".
Thoughts?