This poem of RS Thomas helps me to think about what God as a concept actually means. And about what it means to relate to God.
Why no! I never thought other than
That God is that great absence
In our lives, the empty silence
Within, the place where we go
Seeking, not in hope to
Arrive or find. He keeps the interstices
In our knowledge, the darkness
Between stars. His are the echoes
We follow, the footprints he has just
Left.
About
The life and thoughts of Freda Marshall, a retired Church of Scotland minister living amongst the mountains and glens of Argyll.Pages
RST once said in a broadcast that as a naturalist he had sometimes found, for example, the place where a hare had been lying, and put his hand in the hollow and found it still warm – and he felt God was like that. As well as being my favourite poet, Thomas has had more influence on my religious thought than any other single person. Thanks for reproducing this.
Thanks for the story about the warm spot left by the hare – very true. Reminds me of the round unfrosted grass markings left by fallow deer a couple of years ago. I was too busy picking up deer poo to appreciate the inner meaning, I shall look at things differently in the future.