I have been reading the book Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence & Frank Laubach, and my heart is drawn to a conscious awareness of God like never before. I have always known about the omnipresence of God but I cannot say that my conscious mind engages with Him continually throughout the day. In my mind, I separate the sacred from the secular. I unconsciously tune God out when focusing on tasks when I could invite Him to my every task, every thought, and every second of my every day!
When I stop to think about it, I see how ridiculous it is to have the God of the universe living in me, yet choose to do things on my own and only invite Him into the situation when I feel stranded, confused or desperate. The reality is that I could experience days of heaven on earth by leaning on God for everything – not just when I need something. I can stay in touch with Him all day, carrying on a conversation with my God in the midst of my busy life. Then every minute of my day becomes sacred and there is no demarcation between the sacred and the secular. I can truly keep a smile on my face all day because of the ongoing conversation with Him. I can truly fill every minute of my every day with God.
When I fell in love with my husband, I had a glimpse of the power and intensity of consciously filling every minute of every day. We met in college and I fondly remember that my days were truly centered around him – literally. I would wake up intoxicated with love and thrilled about another day with him. I would smile my way to the bathroom and get dressed with his favorite color in mind. I made my selections for the day seeking to please him. I wanted him to be excited when he saw me. I walked tall and had a glow about me as I went to class. I would constantly picture his daily schedule and mentally track what he would be doing at the very minute I was thinking of him. I had a spring in my steps as I got my work done because I knew that each passing minute took me closer to him. I looked at every occurrence through his eyes and I could not wait to share the details with him. By the time I finally saw him, I was so excited that love gushed out of me!
Imagine how rich life would be if we live in the consciousness of the presence of God minute by minute. Imagine how minuscule your challenges would be in the presence of God. Imagine how different your daily experiences would be if you really knew God was right there with you all through the day. How empowering it would be to hold a long conversation with God throughout the day. God the Holy Spirit is always with us and He is eager to be a part of our day. He is always there as a silent partner willing to help, comfort and guide all day.
God wants a relationship with you more than anything else. He wants to be there for you, He wants to be a part of your everyday life – not just the highlights. Jesus wants to be a part of your life. Everything else flows out of the relationship with God. The depth of your relationship with God is the core of life and everything we do for God should flow out of that core.
What would happen if we make a conscious decision to have active conversations with the Lord throughout the day? Every 10, 15 or 30 minutes, punctuated with a conversation with God would transform your life. Join me in the decision to practice the presence of God, making Him an active part of every minute of every day.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
How do you stay aware of the presence of God? Please share by leaving a comment.
Comments are closed.