How to Encounter God in Your Ordinary Moments
I’m not thinking about how to encounter God as I wash the crusty marinara sauce from a plate that sat too long. Sweet Bekah comes to me in my silent revelry and wraps her little arm around my thigh.
“Come with me, Mommy,” she beckons.
“Just as soon as I finish these dishes,” I tell her.
“No, Mom—now. You have to come now,” she begs.
She’s been playing on the deck, and I’m sure there’s a caterpillar making an escape or a tower built from rocks on a patio chair. I really just want to clean the kitchen. Nonetheless, when I look into those sparkling blue eyes, I surrender my desire for a clean kitchen and follow her.
She leads me by the hand through the open screen door, and we walk to the far corner of the deck. Expecting to see a ladybug or caterpillar, I’m surprised by the scene in front of me.
How to Encounter God in Your Ordinary Moments
The sky is a color I can’t even name—some combination of indigo, magenta, and coral. Clouds stretch like translucent fingers along the black horizon in shades of lavender.
The sun is gone, but from where it descended, a white glow arises from the tree line as if Christ might emerge right through the blazing chasm. To top it all off, the moon is high in the northern sky—white on navy—a contrast as stark white lilies on black water.
“Let’s go to the yard where we can see it better,” she suggests, eyes still dancing.
Hand in hand, we walk to the lawn, cool with the dew of night already settling upon it. We stand there, holding hands, just staring out at the glory of it all.
“I think God did this just for us,” she says, almost in a whisper, not wanting words to interrupt the moment. She’s five, but she knows big things.
“I think so too,” I whisper.
We stand until the evening chill drives us back into the house, and I leave the dishes in the sink. We sit on the couch and read the story of creation for the hundredth time. She asks for it so often I can recite it without looking at the pages now.
It’s not until later, after the bath and the snack and pulling the sheet up to her neck, that the fullness of the evening captures me. While I was busy with my everyday life, God was pursuing me. He pursued me through the sky, painted like a dream. And he pursued me through a child, reminding me what it means to pause and look to him.
We Encounter God in the Ordinary When We Slow Down
Maybe this is how we encounter God in the ordinary: We pause, we watch, and we ponder.
We go about our everyday tasks with eyes open to the hand of our Maker.
In response, God reveals himself to us when we look into the eyes of our loved ones. He reveals himself as we bend low to scrub the floors for the fourth time of the day, fold the socks, drag the garbage can to the end of the driveway, and cook the next meal.
Let’s take a closer look at the three postures that help us encounter God in our ordinary moments.
1. I encounter God in the ordinary when I learn to pause.
When was the last time you paused to feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, soap bubbles on a clean plate, or soft fleece clean from the dryer?
What if we learned to pause amid our most routine tasks and give thanks for the gifts we take for granted? Perhaps we’d open our hearts and minds to a different way of living, a sacramental way of living.
I invite you to take a moment to close your eyes and breathe deeply. When you feel settled, open your eyes and look around. God is with you. He loves you. He is pouring out his love upon you right now.
I often wear a different piece of jewelry to remind me to stop what I’m doing throughout the day and look toward God. These are moments to breathe, center myself in his love, and rest with him.
This leads to our second way of encountering God in the ordinary.
2. I encounter God when I watch for his gifts.
Now, as you rest with God, look around and find a reason to give thanks. Is the sun shining through the window? Are you holding a hot mug of coffee or enjoying your lunch?
In what ways has God blessed you today?
Every time we count God’s gifts, we fix our eyes on what is pure, good, lovely, right, and true. In doing so, we encounter the heart of our loving Father in heaven.
3. I connect with God by reviewing the day.
At the end of each day, take a moment and ask God to show you the moments when you overlooked his presence with you throughout the day. Take a moment to remember each moment from your day, from the time you woke up to the end of the day. What is he showing you?
Here’s my list:
God was present when the alarm sounded too early, and I stumbled from the bed grumbling instead of giving thanks. He was waiting for me to look to him, but I complained instead.
The Lord was present when my little one came to me with shoelaces tied in knots. Instead of smiling gently and helping, I muttered under my breath.
God was present when a friend came to visit and shared her struggles.
He was there when we walked outside on a sunny afternoon.
He was present when we gathered around the table for dinner and shared our lives.
At times, I embraced his presence, and at times, I forgot all about him. Perhaps I forgot because I wasn’t watching.
God wants you to fix your gaze on him throughout your days as well. How can you remind yourself to keep looking to him?
The God of the universe wants us to encounter him in the mundane moments of our ordinary lives: our dish-washing, laundry folding, and quiet acts of service. #encounteringGod Share on XA Free Online Devotional to Help You Learn How to Encounter God:
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Additionally, my teen daughter, Bekah, and I are passionate about helping moms and daughters grow closer while connecting with God. We have written two mother-daughter devotionals together. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section after each devotion.
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