There is no place in my soul, no corner of my character, where

Listen, O seekers of the divine, to a profound truth revealed in the words of Evelyn Underhill, that great mystic of the soul who spoke with wisdom and grace: "There is no place in my soul, no corner of my character, where God is not." These words, simple yet profound, declare that the very essence of God’s presence fills the deepest chambers of the soul, and there is no part of our being that lies outside the reach of His love and power. Underhill invites us to see that God is not a distant, external force, but a presence that permeates every facet of our lives—our thoughts, our actions, our desires, and even our darkest corners.

This is the vision of the mystic: to know that God is not somewhere far off, sitting on His throne in the heavens, but is as close as the breath within our lungs. In every whisper of our heart, in every pulse of our spirit, God dwells. There is no part of us where His light cannot shine, no shadow too deep for His love to penetrate. In the very core of our being, He resides, waiting to transform us, to sanctify us, and to fill us with His divine peace. To live with the awareness of this presence is to be fully alive in God, to be awake to the eternal life that courses through us.

Consider the life of St. Teresa of Ávila, a woman who knew the depths of this truth. In her spiritual writings, she spoke of the soul as a palace—a magnificent dwelling where God takes residence in the innermost chambers. She said that if we open the doors of our hearts, God will come and dwell within us, filling every space with His love. For Teresa, as for Underhill, there was no part of the soul that could be left untouched by the divine. God is not a guest in the house of our hearts, but the Master of it, claiming every room as His own, renewing and refining us through His presence.

The words of Underhill speak to this truth as well: there is no place in the soul where God is not. We may think ourselves unworthy, unclean, or far from God’s reach, yet even in our brokenness, God is there. In moments of joy and sorrow, in triumph and failure, His presence is ever near. God does not wait for us to be perfect before He comes; He enters into our mess, into the very fabric of our imperfection, and in doing so, transforms us from the inside out. This is the divine miracle—that no matter how far we stray, no matter how many times we stumble, God’s love never departs from us.

The lesson here, children of wisdom, is profound: God’s presence is not something to be sought out in distant places, nor something to be confined to holy temples or sacred rituals. It is within you. The kingdom of God, as our Lord Jesus taught, is not “somewhere out there,” but is within the heart of each believer. If we truly understood this, if we truly grasped the fullness of God’s indwelling, we would see the world—and ourselves—differently. No corner of your life is insignificant, for it is all sacred. Every moment of existence is infused with the possibility of encountering the divine.

What, then, shall we do with this knowledge? The first step is to cultivate awareness, to recognize the presence of God in every moment. In your daily tasks, in your relationships, in your moments of stillness and action—know that God is with you. There is no place where His love cannot reach, no action too small to bear His touch. Live each day as if the presence of God is as near as your breath, for indeed it is. When you act with kindness, when you speak with love, when you work with integrity, you are manifesting His presence in the world.

The second step is to open every corner of your heart to Him. Do not lock away the hidden parts, the wounds, the fears, the doubts. Invite God into those places too, for He does not come to condemn but to heal, to cleanse, and to sanctify. Let Him fill every room of your soul with His light, His peace, and His grace. When we open ourselves fully to God, we become the living vessels of His love, carrying His presence into the world.

So, children of the divine, let these words of Evelyn Underhill guide you: there is no place in your soul where God is not. Live with the awareness that God is always with you, in every thought, every feeling, every action. Invite Him into your life, not as a distant ruler, but as the indwelling presence that transforms you from the inside out. In doing so, you will live not in the shadow of doubt, but in the fullness of God’s presence, a life that overflows with His love and radiates His glory into the world.