August 18, 2009

Meeting God in the Everyday

2009 1521 page14 capsk someone on the sidewalk for a definition of “spirituality,” and you’re likely to get an earful. As our culture has grown weary of crass materialism and the endless cycle of workplace competition, more and more people have turned to notions of spirituality to fill the void they feel inside.

 
A hundred definitions of spirituality await your question. To some, it is a focus centering on personal needs and emotions. For others, spirituality isn’t even necessarily connected to a belief in God, for they are comforted and sustained by a vague notion that there is some force out there that binds the universe together. Still others believe that being spiritual is identical to being religious. They attend church regularly; they put themselves in a spiritual environment; they must be spiritual.
 
As God has worked His will in me, I have come to think of spirituality as a way of walking with God and being aware of His presence in my everyday life. Once I started traveling in His company, I realized that I never wanted to go anywhere alone. Living and working in God’s presence has also profoundly changed my understanding of what it means to be a witness to His power and grace.
 
Here are some ways I discovered God in ordinary time.
 
Meeting God in the Workplace
Being aware of God’s presence in the workplace makes any job more enjoyable. When you do your best on the job, you are acknowledging God as the author of excellence, a supremely creative and deeply diligent heavenly Father who cares about the quality of the work He allows us to do in this world.
 
2009 1521 page14As a small child you probably frequently attempted to get Mommy or Daddy to notice you. You felt proud when your parents hung your latest masterpiece on the refrigerator. Winning their approval was likely one of the main goals of your young life, and when you were praised for your efforts you worked that much harder. But Scripture tells us that we begin our lives with our Father’s approval, that He is not waiting for our best efforts to unlock the treasury of His affection. He calls us instead to do our work with care and quality because they are reflections of His own attributes, the illustration that we are in fact His beloved children. Nothing makes Him happier than to bless the son or daughter who has come to understand His approval in their life, and works to show the world that they are proud to be part of His family.
 
I once knew a woman who hated her job so much that she always referred to it as her “stupid” job. Her responsibilities involved sitting in front of a computer 10 hours a day answering and logging in phone calls. I tried telling her how blessed she was to have full-time work when so many others were unemployed. As someone who had been out of work for a long time, I would have been happy to have almost any sort of job, no matter how boring or stressful. When you meet God where you work, your attitude toward employment becomes one of gratitude.
 
Approaching your job as a calling—as something that is important and meaningful—is a helpful way to exercise your spirituality. Roles in teaching children or caring for the sick are vital for obvious reasons, but other jobs in which the social impact isn’t so apparent are also important. Each of the various jobs I have had throughout the years was meaningful to me because I tried to look beyond the obvious goal of my need to earn money.
 
When I sterilized test tubes in a pathology lab, I considered the patients who relied on blood work to help them get better. Scrubbing toilets as a motel maid wasn’t much fun, but I thought of all the tourists happily splashing around in the pool, and I knew that my work was contributing toward their relaxing and enjoyable vacation. When I was doing billing for a company that repaired jet engines, I reflected on the passengers on the jets and realized that my work helped them get off the ground.
 
When we meet God in the workplace, not only does our job performance improve, but we often find ourselves being kinder and more patient with our coworkers. Instead of merely putting up with difficult employees or an angry, demanding supervisor, we begin to think of each workday as an opportunity to share the love that Christ preached about.
 
Simple as it sounds, our demeanor on the job illustrates our connection to the Father. Practice smiling in the workplace, even if you’re not happy with the situation you’re in. Smiling will make others feel more at ease with you, and a positive, loving attitude will attract friends and go a long way toward attracting others to Jesus.
 
Meeting God at Events and Errands
Can you meet your heavenly Father at a social event or while running an errand? The Lord of everywhere can meet us everyplace where we can consciously and conscientiously invite His presence. As you think about your recreational choices, are you comfortable with the idea that He could meet you in those places? Would you feel at peace watching a particular movie if your Father were sitting in the seat beside you? Would you be embarrassed to have Him with you at that rowdy party?
 
When you invite God to join you at social events, you naturally make better choices of how you spend your leisure time. If He walks the grocery aisles with us, we are more careful about making purchases. Being aware of God’s presence at the supermarket invites us to wait patiently at the checkout stand, to not complain about how slow the cashier is or how many coupons a customer has. We surrender our rights in the presence of His approval and love, and so don’t feel a need to fight someone for a parking space. We learn to treat strangers with the same respect we do our friends, knowing that we are all dependent on His love and goodness.
 
Meeting God as we move through our day can open our eyes to the beauty all around us. City parks—fragments of His greater, greener world—allow us to appreciate God’s creation. Look closely at the world you move through, and you will find many sights and sounds that raise the gladness in your heart. New eyes and new attitudes allow us to find enjoyment in the things we pass by every day, such as a beautifully decorated store window or a quaint used-book store. Journeying with Him will help us see the ordinary with extraordinary eyes.
 
Meeting God at Home
It’s easy to miss the joy of God’s presence in the everyday routines of our lives. Most people wouldn’t call washing dishes or making beds a spiritual experience, but such ordinary tasks are regular opportunities for prayer and meditation.
 
If you were raised in a family in which everyone was assigned chores, by the time you reached adulthood housekeeping probably had become automatic. You don’t have to concentrate on sweeping the kitchen floor: the task is repetitive, for you’ve done it so many times. Instead of worrying about the next thing on your to-do list, try using this time to talk to God.
 
Every night I try to thank God for all the good things that happened that day, even those that seemed small and insignificant. On my worst days this takes effort, but as I recall the day’s events I realize there are little moments of happiness spread throughout: a phone call from a friend, a funny story told by a fellow worker, or unhurried moments enjoying a book. Folding laundry and cooking dinner allow open space in our lives in which to thank God that we have laundry to fold and dinner to cook when so many people have neither.
 
The ways we respond to our families’ wants and needs will also be greatly affected as we meet God where we live. I knew a man, a respected church member, who was charming, funny, and popular wherever he went. But when he was home with his family it was a painfully different story. He was rude and rarely had a kind word for those closest to him.
 
If we remind ourselves of God’s presence in the place we spend the majority of our time, we won’t have one set of standards for outsiders and a lower set of standards for relatives. The Lord we worship in the sanctuary also joins us on the sofa in the living room. And if we remember—and invite—His presence, we pause and pray before yelling at children or making cutting remarks to a spouse.
 
Meeting God in Worship
We meet the Lord in the fullest way when we worship, slowing the hustle and bustle of our weekday lives to reconnect with our Maker. But sometimes—if only symbolically—we bring along our laptops and briefcases, because it takes time to switch gears from working to worshipping. As you sit in the pew waiting for the service to begin, do you spend the time in contemplation and silent prayer, or are you planning dinner? Are you frustrated from trying to get children out of bed, fed, and dressed for church? Is your mind doing reruns of that fight you had with your boss on Friday?
 
Spirituality is never the same as being casual, or failing to plan for special events. Meeting God at church will also require our conscious thought and planning. Having church clothes laid out the night before and an unhurried morning schedule will result in the drive to church going more smoothly. If necessary, getting everyone up a half hour earlier will allow for the inevitable spilled milk or lost hair ribbons.
 
When we enter the sanctuary, we strive to leave our weekday lives behind. This is an unmatched opportunity for us to fellowship with the Lord, whom we have met in briefer ways throughout the week. Realistically speaking, not every worship service nor every sermon is going to touch hearts or leave a lasting impression, but they provide us with a planned and conscious “open space” in our lives in which to focus on the truths of God’s Word and lift our hearts above the humdrum. Worship is the place we practice the joy that we will revel in eternally.
 
Our spiritual lives are not a corner of our existence, but the conscious awareness of God’s presence in the events and experiences of all our days. He delights to meet us in the midst of everydayness and the ordinary, even as we plan with Him for eternity and all things extraordinary. 
 
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Gina Lee is a freelance writer who lives in California.


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