My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” ( Psalm 42:1-2 ). Amen.“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. He longs to be kind to you and to enjoy everything with you. He wants to be noticed - so much that he came to us as a baby in Jesus. My hope is that as you go through your day, you realize more and more that God is everywhere and in everything. The sunset was beautiful the other day, it set the sky ablaze with color. It felt like God was listening to me through them. Someone has their favorite treat and before they take their last bite, they ask God to join them in the tasting.Ī friend of mine let me talk to them about a hard thing.

It was pretty and reminded me that God made it for me and others to enjoy. I saw some ice on a puddle the other day. For every day this month, can you find something around you or in you that reminds you of LOVE, of God? Amen.įriends! It’s December, a time when we focus on the birth of God as Jesus. Truly God is here among us, God became US to remind us and show us that he IS always here. Imago, this is not wishful thinking or finding a silver lining to a bad situation or manipulating a situation to feel differently - this is where faith is tangible and real. And I didn’t even know it!” He was terrified. All it takes to notice God is a turn of the head, a capture of your attention, and an acknowledgement that God is truly here.įrom Genesis 28:16-17 in The Message: Jacob woke up from his sleep. It does not have to be fantastical or accompanied by fanfare (though we know sometimes God is like that and we long for those interactions). It might be hard to see God in changing a diaper, sending an email, cooking a meal, getting ready in the morning, answering a toddler’s question for the 25th time.but I assure you that God is there, in that specific moment. I challenge you to become a little bit more aware of what is around you. These are the dwelling places of God and we all have access to them.Īs you go about your weeks this Advent season, I challenge you to start to see differently. I mean something like: seeing God in his eing God in your eing God in your eing God in your emotions. This month, Imago, could we look for God? And I don’t mean a physical being or voice. “We become so preoccupied with the to-do list and so overwhelmed by the pace of life that we forget to look for God sightings in our day.” ~Calhoun But only the present is real, and we distract ourselves from it so readily. The things that will never be again, and the things that are not-yet. So, what are some things that distract us from the presence of God? I would say in America today we are most distracted by the past and by the future. (This does not mean we don’t get stuff done - it means we bring a different kind of thinking to what we are doing, acknowledging that God is present with us as we do anything and cares deeply about all of the aspects of our lives - even the mundane.) Long associated with Brother Lawrence, a monk who wrote about his experiences in Practicing the Presence, it is a spiritual approach to life that asks us to break down barriers that distract us from God’s presence.” ~Alexis Waid “Practicing the presence of God is a spiritual exercise that challenges us to remain focused on God during an everyday task or chore. Let’s begin the process of looking for and finding the Divine everywhere.

This month of December, let’s practice cultivating awareness. Like the fish who is the last to discover water, we sometimes go through life not truly knowing who/what is around us.

Imago, what is hindering you from experiencing the presence of God right now? If we believe that God is everywhere all the time, experiencing his presence is not dependent on Him.

Practicing the presence of god