My sister once explained her approach to spirituality: “Jim, I’ll tell you where I see God. I see God inside the people around me, inside myself.”

Similarly, at the Last Supper, Jesus admonished his disciple Phillip “…Don’t you believe that….the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work.”

Historically, religions have tended to view God as omniscient, almighty, and distant. However, the claim being made in these statements is that the presence of God can reside within a human being.

Is my sister’s claim rooted in the reality of human spirituality, or is it misleading, or just wishful thinking?

Could it be that “divinity” exists nowhere other than within human beings, and there is no such thing as a higher creative power?

Can Jesus say what he does because he is unique (a “special case”) or does each of us have the potential to achieve a oneness with God that is exactly like his?

What metaphysical ‘design feature’ could facilitate God’s becoming “incarnate” within or “manifesting” through a given individual?

Have you personally experienced God’s presence within another person or within yourself? If so, what was the impact of that experience?

Please share your thoughts below