Last week on my daily commute to work, besides battling the all-too-common traffic, I struggled with the descending fog that obscured my view. It felt as if I were driving through a cloud. Fog makes it difficult to see what is near. So I clutched the wheel, leaned forward, and focused on the tail lights in front of me. I called out (I hope the guy in the car next to me thought I was talking on a hands-free cell phone), “Lord, are you kidding me? Not only more rain but now fog?”
The fog was too all-encompassing for me to ignore. I took notice, and I asked God to help me see through it so I could safely arrive at my destination. The funny thing about fog is that you can see better what is in the distance than what is nearest to you.
Sometimes my brain gets a bit foggy. I can’t see or think clearly. Often this happens when I am experiencing multi-tasking overload. “Fog brain” keeps me from seeing people and situations that most need my compassionate attention and even veils the nearness of God in my daily life. For me, the grace in times of fogginess is to recognize that I am in a fog and to ask the Lord for a new clarity.
The rain is still coming down as I write, and there is no sun in the forecast for a few more days. But I hope that the sun will break through. I thank God for being near to me when I call, inviting me to seek his presence even when I can’t see or feel him.
Sister Terry is the Executive Director of RENEW International and a Dominican Sister from Blauvelt, NY.
