Encountering God each day
Even in these unusual COVID times, many of us, myself included, head out each day wondering about all sorts of things. What appointments do I have today?
Did I remember to bring my workout clothes for my trip to the health club on my way home? Do I need anything from the grocery store? Did I remember to do my homework? Or worse yet, do I have a test? Do we have a game after school, and is it home or away? Do I have any meetings I need to prepare for? Is today garbage day? Did I remember to arrange for a sitter tonight? You get the idea.
But do we ever leave the house wondering, “am I ready to encounter God today?”
Maybe that sounds like a ridiculous question. Maybe it just sounds so vague that it seems to lack any real meaning. Or maybe it’s just a clergyperson showing that he’s out of touch with the day-to-day lives of real people. But as we hear frequently, not much in the spiritual life happens by accident. It just doesn’t seem to work that way.
That means, if we’re not expecting to encounter God — we probably won’t. Or at least, we won’t be aware of it. And if we’re not open to grace — grace-filled moments will probably seem to pass us by. If we don’t expect to be blessed by God through the people and circumstances in which we find ourselves — then those things will never feel that way.
If the joy God wants us to find by encountering him is, in our minds, just a “Sunday thing” — then we might experience six days of the week only as drudgery or toil or a waiting for something better at some point far into the future. Reflecting on the scripture parable about the 10 virgins, five of whom are prepared and five of whom are found in need, do we take oil with us each day, prepared to meet the bridegroom?
All of us have a lot on our plate. I don’t have to tell you that. Is God somewhere on that plate? Wait — that’s not the way to look at it at all. God isn’t simply one more thing to FIT into our schedule, one more thing ON our plate.
Rather, he is the plate itself, the one who is right there in the midst of every single thing we do, and every single person we encounter. Imagine that!
But we will never experience God if we aren’t expecting him, won’t be able to recognize the God- moments permeating each of our days if we are distracted by something else.
We won’t be able to fully celebrate the blessings of God’s goodness and mercy and peace and joy if we are spiritually somewhere else when God comes to meet us. Reflecting again on the 10 virgins in the Scripture parable, five were wise, making their preparations in advance, and five were foolish. Which are we?
May we wake up each day ready to meet God every step of the way, trusting that He certainly won’t disappoint us. For each new day represents a new opportunity to experience God’s grace.