To be sure, God is at work in our plans. After all, as the poet Hafiz writes, God lovingly invites us to direct and meaningful engagement, to a “sublime chess game” where strategy plays a central role. God observes our plans and works through them, moving God’s own knights, rooks and pawns as we move ours. But Hafiz also recognizes that God is full of surprises.
A saint is not marked by a flawless chess strategy, but by her response to God’s work. For Hafiz, saints are those who meet and engage with God at the table, “tripping over joy” and “bursting out in laughter” as they encounter God at work in the world. Saints not only embrace God’s spontaneity amid their own plans, but in that embrace discover freedom, joy and laughter.
All too often, I catch myself thinking that I “have a thousand serious moves” and that all will be well if I stick to my carefully laid-out plans. But Hafiz encourages me to pursue the path of the saint, put aside my calendar for awhile and encounter God anew.
This message is excerpted from “Strategy of grace” by Hannah Hawkinson in the October 2018 Gather magazine.
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