In contemplation, we are called to practice surrender to the now, to what is, whether we perceive “what is” to be good or bad… precisely because we have learned that our normal modes of perception are not to be trusted! Though most Christians are proud to proclaim that “God is good all the time,” we often struggle to accept this truth, whether because of personal hardships or pain and suffering at the community or global level (which are all finally manifestations of God’s own suffering).Thus, in contemplative practice we consent to God to exchange our perception for that of God, whose “thoughts are not [our] thoughts” (Is 55:8), and who alone can recognize the full blessing of the present. It takes deep trust, a surrendered will, and a fully contemplative mind to recognize the lessons learned by our sins and mistakes, to allow our moments of grief to be an opportunity for expanded heart space, and to see the encounter with the suffering other as an opportunity to look on the face of Christ. Finally, we can start to see and trust that good can come from even the hardest things – which the Cross and Resurrection should have told us all along – and we can trust that God really is good,all the time!