We all can enjoy great intimacy with God! Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite monk of the 17^th-century, was the chief cook of his order and was always in the kitchen. His position was perfect for him because he made it his project to “practice the presence of God.” At any given moment, he would remind himself that God was with him. He became incredibly good at the practice and enjoyed deep peace, comfort, and fullness of Life. His letters are collected in a profound little book, The Practice of the Presence of God.

We can develop our awareness of God through seeking Him. When God is our great desire, we find Him everywhere, even though He isn’t tangible to our senses. At one point in a child’s development, if an adult places a blanket over a favorite toy, the child will cry. As the little one grows in awareness, he’ll reach out and pull the blanket off, knowing the “invisible” toy is beneath it. The child has developed a new level of consciousness. Experience is a great teacher. As we persist in seeking our invisible God, we become more and more able to perceive His presence. We become conscious of reality—God truly IS here, NOW, with you, with me.

LIVING IN THE NOW

Our relationship with God allows us to remain primarily in the now. If we trust God, we won’t spend time visualizing a future without him. And if we allow God to complete us, as he longs to do, we don’t need the future to make us whole or happy or good enough. We can stop waiting to live. We are who we are—a child of the Master of the universe. What self-concept can be greater? More all-encompassing? More freeing?

If we find our identity in God, we don’t need the past to define us. In God, we become new. The hang-ups of our past self are just that, part of our past self. We’re given the dignity of being co-creators with God, moment by moment. God makes all things new, including us. In each unique moment, we can live our lives with power and with hearts wide open.

Not only does God live in our now, he makes our now liveable. Frequently, my now-moments are simply doing the dishes. I don’t know about you, but my dishes are not that fascinating. Yet if my now-moment is filled with God’s presence—which it is—my now is peace-filled, joy-filled, contented, no matter what I am doing.

Perhaps a few of these thoughts can help you “practice the presence” during your day, simply reminding yourself God is within you and you have your being within God. But don’t get attached to any thought or image. Let go and feel, experience, God’s presence.

When you realize it’s been quite a while since you’ve thought of God, ask for the grace to seek and find. Feel the glory of holding and being held by perfect Love. Right now. This moment—God is with you. You are on holy ground!

My prayer for you—

Today, be aware.
God’s Life floods your heart.
It’s always Raining Grace.

|Being Fully Alive in the Present Moment|

During my teaching days, I looked forward to the occasional teacher-appreciation party, which involved FREE FOOD, comradery, and great door prizes.

“Door prizes” got their name because

a.) they get people in the door

b.) you get a chance to win just by entering the door

c.) they keep people from going out the door too early

d.) all of the above

(I don’t know the answer. I just made up the quiz.) The point is: to receive one of the door prizes, you had to be present to win.

God’s a lot like the parents who threw our after-school parties. He seems to appreciate our company. He loves to give us presents in the present moment, and you must be in the moment to receive them. You must embrace the grace of now. It’s the only way to be fully alive.

I need to confess at this point that I’m a fully alive wannabe. They say the best coaches are those who had to work to develop their skills. I’ve had to work on being present. Anyway, I’d rather be a wannabe than a know it all.

Being present for the moments of your life isn’t a hedonistic goal. Yes, it’s the only way to get maximum pleasure from living, and, as Saint Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” Still, I think God wants us to be present in the present because that’s where God is. God is the God who called Himself “I am.” He didn’t say, “I was.” He didn’t say, “I will be.”

Theologically speaking, God is outside of time and has access to every moment. But He created us as time-bound creatures and meets us in the now.

When we’re in awe of God over His glorious sunsets, we’re in the now. When we seek forgiveness for our past, and God assures us we are loved, we can only feel that love if we’re with God in the now. When God calms our worries over tomorrow with His assurance that He’s always with us, we can only feel His presence in the moment, in the now.

If we look for God, if God is what we seek, we’ll begin to find our invisible God in others, in all of creation. We’ll find Him in a baby’s laugh, a sunset, even in an ordinary moment like this one.

In Him we live, and move, and have our being

We are layered in God, almost like a nesting doll. We are the temple of God’s Spirit, His dwelling place. At the same time, in Him we live, and move, and have our being. This moment, we are saturated in the Divine Presence, and it’s forever raining grace.

Have you heard the story of the twins in the womb? One says to the other, “I’ve been thinking lately … “

“What. What have you been thinking?”

“Oh, forget it. You’ll laugh.”

“No. I won’t. What is it?”

“I’ve been thinking … that there is a Mom.”

“A Mom. You’ve got to be kidding. Do you see a Mom?”

“I can’t prove a thing. But I believe there is a Mom. And someday we’ll see our Mom, face to face.”

Now, that’s a wise twin! In the Mom the twins lived, and moved, and had their being. You read this blog within the sacred presence of God. Stay awhile in this moment. Embrace the grace of now.

Today, be aware.
God’s Life floods your heart.
It’s always Raining Grace.