My church has a collection of photographs of crosses. Not actual crosses but the image of a cross found in everyday items. Some crosses are shadows, others are in the braids of hair, a women’s wrinkles, and a toaster. Every time that I see these photos, I am amazed at the range of emotions that I feel. I am also reminded of a very moving spiritual practice. The practice of finding God in the every day.
When we look for God in our everyday lives it is an affirmation, a reminder that we are a part of something much larger than ourselves, and an understanding that God is walking along side of us. This practice helps us to slow down and look past our busyness. It is a way for us to sense the presence of God in a reassuring way.
I encourage you to use all your senses in the practice. Where can you find God in the every day? Is it in the music and/or words of a song, a piece of art, a child’s laughter, the feeling of warmth from a shining sun, the taste of a new or special food. I have felt the presence of God in the smile of a stranger, the rush of adrenaline after a workout, and in the peace and stillness of meditation.
I invite you to go one step further in this spiritual practice. I invite you to record it. Just as the photographer did, take a picture of it and/or record the experience in a journal, extend the experience and the feelings around it by sharing it with someone else.
As we travel through this season of Lent and moving past it – Where have you found God in the every day?
We would love to hear about it!
Photo credit: Kathy Paradise