Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere

“What are the six foundational aspects of a connection to God? Here is what I came up with: Love. Presence. Praise. Grace. Hope. Purpose.”

The list format serves as a rhetorical device, presenting a clear and organized enumeration of the foundational aspects. Each word stands alone, emphasizing its importance and creating a sense of completeness and balance. The list also exemplifies asyndeton, the omission of conjunctions, which gives the quote a rhythmic, impactful quality. This list also alerts the reader to the book’s organizational structure, which is divided into these foundational aspects.

“Blank space. Quiet. Nothingness. This is where God has the greatest opportunity to do his thing.”

The parallel structure here conveys a sense of serenity and openness. The short, simple sentences create a contemplative rhythm, while the repetition of abstract concepts like “blank space,” “quiet,” and “nothingness” underscores the idea that divine action often occurs in moments of stillness and absence. The use of asyndeton in the omission of conjunctions between the phrases “Blank space,” “Quiet,” and “Nothingness” also helps to enhance the sense of simplicity and starkness.

“All I know is it took me a long time, a lifetime of church and no church, faith and not much faith, seeking and failing, hoping and falling, to understand this basic precept: mostly what God does is love us.”

Guthrie utilizes parallelism and antithesis to convey the journey of understanding faith. The phrases “a lifetime of church and no church,” “faith and not much faith,” and “seeking and failing, hoping and falling” present contrasting elements, emphasizing the struggle and complexity of the spiritual journey. The structure creates a rhythm that underscores the progression and eventual realization of the central precept.

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you.”

The comparison between divine action and parental guidance serves as an analogy, simplifying the concept of following divine example. The imperative “watch what God does, and then you do it” commands action, making the statement direct and instructional. The repetition of “Mostly what God does” reinforces the central theme of The Personal Impact of Divine Love.

“I’ve always felt believing in God isn’t really the hard part; believing he is good and actively engaged in our lives and the world in the face of so much pain—that is the hard part.”

The juxtaposition between “believing in God” and “believing he is good and actively engaged in our lives and the world in the face of so much pain” highlights the contrast between simple belief and deeper faith challenged by real-world suffering. This comparison highlights the difficulty of maintaining Faith Amid Adversity.

“Imagine it—God loving you. Seeing you, appreciating you, delighting in you. Knowing you, having compassion on you, healing you, forgiving you. See it, appreciate it, grasp it, hold on to it. Inhale deeply of his goodwill and attune yourself to evidence of his love. Look for it everywhere.”

Here, Guthrie creates a rhythm to reinforce her message concerning the intimate and continuous nature of divine love. The repetition of “you” following each verb highlights the personal connection. The sequence of short commands like “See it, appreciate it, grasp it, hold on to it” is meant to inculcate a sense of urgency and immersion.

“But humility is not humiliation; it is not being forcefully brought down low—either by ourselves or by God. Humility is simply recognizing our need for God. Acknowledging our need, as opposed to telling ourselves we’re fully self-sufficient, leaves space for him. That space can and will be filled with his love for us.”

Antithesis and definition play key roles in this quote. The contrast between humility and humiliation clarifies the concept by defining what humility is not. The explanatory style, which defines humility as recognizing a need for God, uses juxtaposition to emphasize the distinction between self-sufficiency and dependence on divine love.

“Sometimes life doesn’t work out the way we wish it would. To which, at some point, we all will likely say a resounding ‘thank God.’ Thank God I didn’t take that job. Thank God I didn’t make that move.”

Situational irony arises from the acknowledgment that unmet desires can be blessings in disguise. The anaphoric repetition of “Thank God” emphasizes the sense of relief and gratitude for unforeseen outcomes, turning potential disappointments into moments of appreciation.

“God’s love. Are you soaking in it? I’m not. Not most days.”

The rhetorical question “Are you soaking in it?” prompts contemplation about the state of one’s spiritual connection. The ellipsis in the statement “Not most days” implies a sense of incompleteness and ongoing struggle with experiencing divine love fully.

“Where is God? What is his exact location? He is now. He is not in a place; he is in a moment. This one. Every one. Eternally.”

The rhetorical questions “Where is God? What is his exact location?” set up a contemplative inquiry about divine presence. The anaphora in the repetition of “He is” followed by “He is not” and then “He is” again, emphasizes Guthrie’s conviction of the omnipresence and immediacy of God in each moment, suggesting his eternal presence.

“After the final reading, the voice directs the listener: ‘Now, let go of any effort, and just rest with God.’ I try. I really do. Rest, rest, rest. This is me, resting. I am resting with God. I need to hurry up and rest and get on with my day. Rest, already! The mind wanders, like a baby crawling off a mat.”

The repetition of “rest” underscores the struggle to find peace and stillness. The irony in “I need to hurry up and rest” highlights the contradictory nature of trying to rush relaxation. The simile “The mind wanders, like a baby crawling off a mat” illustrates the difficulty in maintaining focus and tranquility, using a relatable and gentle image to convey the restless nature of the mind.

“‘Who are you wearing?’ A shallow, vapid question. But what if it is a penetrating spiritual question?”

The juxtaposition of “shallow, vapid” with “penetrating spiritual” transforms what Guthrie considers a mundane question into something she considers profound, challenging the conventional interpretation. The rhetorical question prompts deeper reflection on the potential spiritual significance behind everyday inquiries.

“He isn’t looking for posturing or pretense. He is looking for the mess. In other words, he is looking for us.”

The contrast between “posturing or pretense” and “the mess” highlights the value placed on authenticity over superficial appearances. The anaphora in the repeated structure “He is looking for” emphasizes the focus and intent behind the search for genuine human experiences.

“Faith. It is clarity and mystery all at once.”

The paradoxical statement “clarity and mystery all at once” suggests a complex and multifaceted nature of faith, presenting it as something that embodies both understanding and the unknown simultaneously. The juxtaposition of these seemingly contradictory elements argues the depth and intrigue of Guthrie’s concept of faith.

“I now regard the lyrics I once considered stodgy and impenetrable as poetic and inspired, a kind of bonus holy text.”

The juxtaposition between “stodgy and impenetrable” and “poetic and inspired” illustrates a transformation in perception, revealing a newfound appreciation for the lyrics. The metaphor “a kind of bonus holy text” elevates the lyrics to a spiritual status, suggesting their potentially profound impact.

“Heavy on guilt, light on grace. No wonder I grew up fearing God more than loving him.”

The antithesis between “heavy on guilt” and “light on grace” highlights the imbalance in the portrayal of divine characteristics, contrasting the overwhelming presence of guilt with the scarcity of grace. The parallel structure emphasizes this disparity and its influence on Guthrie’s relationship with God.

“I see that receiving God’s grace is the ultimate bonding experience with him. It connects us to him eternally with a cord of our choosing—not a rope or shackle but a link, a tie, an attachment. We will tug on that line again and again.”

The metaphor of a “cord of our choosing” represents the voluntary and personal nature of one’s connection with God, contrasting with “a rope or shackle,” which implies force and restriction. The repetition of “a link, a tie, an attachment” reinforces the idea of a multifaceted and enduring bond, while “tug on that line again and again” suggests ongoing interaction and reliance on this divine connection.

“Being correct that the world is lost provides no comfort. It does not make life more bearable. Cynicism and despair only pile more heartbreak upon the original heartbreak. Hopelessness does not solve the problem; it compounds it.”

The contrast between being “correct” and finding “comfort” highlights the futility of merely recognizing the world’s problems without seeking solutions. Parallelism is used in the repetition of phrases like “does not make life more bearable” and “does not solve the problem,” emphasizing the negative consequences of cynicism and hopelessness, while the repetition of “heartbreak” underscores the deepening emotional impact.

“The disciples believed, but they doubted. Belief and unbelief both in one short sentence. Does anything better encapsulate what it’s like to be human?”

The juxtaposition of “believed” and “doubted” within a single sentence captures the complexity of human faith and doubt. The rhetorical question at the end contends the universality of this duality, suggesting that the coexistence of belief and doubt is a fundamental aspect of the human experience.

“That’s fun for scholars, but for the rest of us, the gist is clear: share the good news you know about God, not just with your words but also with your life, your character, your core. This is carrying the fragrance of God, something only possible, by the way, when we are near him.”

The colloquial, informal tone created by “That’s fun for scholars, but for the rest of us” attempts to make the message more accessible and relatable. The metaphor “carrying the fragrance of God” conveys the idea of embodying and sharing divine qualities through one’s actions and character, suggesting an intimate connection with the divine that influences and enhances daily life.

“For those suffering, God might be too difficult to believe in, too far removed, too esoteric a concept to be felt. Who can blame them? But love, care, and touch from a fellow human being, right alongside them, should not be. When we look someone in the eye, offer our coat, or invite a stranger to sit with us, we transmit the love of God.”

The contrast between the abstract and inaccessible nature of God and the tangible, immediate acts of human kindness suggests the practical expression of divine love through human actions. The anaphora in the repetition of “too” emphasizes the perceived distance and complexity of God for those suffering, while the subsequent actions of looking someone in the eye, offering a coat, and inviting a stranger serve as concrete examples of transmitting divine love.

“This isn’t meant to be a guilt trip. It’s an aspiration. It’s a hope. It’s a calling. It’s a belief in your possibility. You don’t get a penalty for failing to live up to that level of love; the only failing is failing to try.”

The repetition of “It’s” at the beginning of successive clauses emphasizes the positive aspects of the message, framing it as a motivational and inspirational call rather than a condemnation. Parallel structure in the clauses “It’s an aspiration. It’s a hope. It’s a calling. It’s a belief in your possibility” creates a rhythmic cadence that reflects the multifaceted nature of the encouragement being offered.

“But you might have to leave your emotional home base, your comfort zone, your wheelhouse, the place you feel safe, where you are usually right and rarely challenged. Comfortable is not where the action is. It is not where you will find out who you really are. To discover your purpose, you probably need to get uncomfortable.”

The repetition of “your” before each element of familiar and safe places emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the comfort zone being described. The antithesis between “comfortable” and “uncomfortable” suggests the necessity of stepping out of one’s comfort zone to achieve personal growth and self-discovery.