How do you encounter God in your daily routines?
So much of our daily life entails doing ordinary things that need to get done. Living can easily become a series of just doing stuff unless we see it differently. Can a daily task open the way to encounter God?
Author Craig Barnes, writes, “We have classes to attend, sales to make, reports to write, floors to clean, children to tend, planes to catch and one more customer to satisfy. If all that this is just stuff we’ve got to do, our lives are rather profane.
“But if we are looking for God’s presence in the midst of it,” he adds, “then all of life becomes an opportunity to encounter the sacred.”
I recalled one evening feeling frustrated about washing the dishes as our dinner guests were in the midst of great conversations.
I couldn’t see the value in the task. There was nothing sacred about washing the dishes. Under my breath I complained until the last dish was clean and dried.
Life has a way of teaching us. I am still doing the dishes or piling them into the dishwasher but with a different perspective. Somewhere along the journey I discovered what my grandmother and mother knew, God is present in the daily chores.
They learned to tend their souls while doing daily activities. I would find them singing hymns, praying or meditating while they washed dishes, tended kids, prepared meals and cared for the sick.
Today the drive in the car is much more than a ride. On some days, I pray quietly or talk out loud to God. Other days, I listen to sermons, and God speaks to me.
The visit to the hospital with my parents is much more than a doctor’s appointment. It is my way to give back to a couple who gave me so much. It is also serving and living out the Word, honor thy parents.
It is amazing what happens when we seek God and encounter Him in the everyday tasks of life. It changes our attitude…it changes us. We do things differently. The work at hand takes on new meaning. The New Testament teaches us to worship and glorify God in all the things we do…in everything give thanks.
Have you encountered God in your daily schedule? I would like to hear about your experiences at your work or the gym, while tending your children or caring for your elderly parents or any other daily task?
Prayer: Lord, help me to seek, and find You in my daily tasks.
