“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
A simple image of a woman watering a plant can say a great deal about life.
The leaves represent love, patience, kindness, hope, healing, and acceptance. Each quality is something worth nurturing as we grow through life’s experiences.
But the image raises another question.
Where is God in all this becoming?
We live in a world that encourages self-improvement. We are reminded to believe in ourselves, develop our abilities, overcome difficulties, and become the best versions of ourselves.
There is much that is good in these aspirations.
Yet growth is not always something we can accomplish through effort alone.
A gardener waters the soil, tends the plant, and provides the conditions for growth. But the gardener does not create the life within the seed.
Perhaps our own becoming is something similar.
From an Ignatian perspective, God is not separate from ordinary life. His grace may be discovered in the quiet movements of the heart, in relationships, in moments of compassion, and in the choices that gradually shape who we become.
Even our imperfections and limitations can become opportunities for greater humility and understanding.
And as technology continues to transform the world, another question emerges.
If machines can increasingly reproduce our intellectual and creative abilities, what does it mean to be human?
Perhaps human dignity was never meant to be measured by what we can produce, achieve, or accomplish.
Our worth is deeper than our abilities.
The invitation is not to stop growing, creating, or discovering. It is to remain attentive to what our growth is leading us toward.
Are we becoming more compassionate?
More understanding?
More willing to recognize the dignity of others?
More open to love?
And where might God’s grace already be present in these movements?
The gardener continues to water the plant.
The work matters.
But life remains a gift.
We participate in our becoming, but we are not its sole authors.
Perhaps that is something worth remembering as we ask:
Where is God—and who are we becoming?
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