I had several people email with ways that they foster a sense of awareness in their lives. With their permission, I am going to share some of the practicals that they shared with me.
A quote about God’s Presence from a reader:
When you pray, wait for the Lord. This means to look for, expect, and to hope in God. This isn’t a passive state of mind, but one of expectancy.
Tell him, “God, I have my hope in You. I believe that You are working on my problems. I belive that You are making arrangements for my day. You are posting angels all throughout my walk, everywhere along my path where You already known I am going to walk today. Thank you, Lord, that You are a pioneer who has already gone before me and made a way for me to have a blessed day.”
From our friend who has been affectionately dubbed “Rissa” by Brady:
Whenever I find myself getting caught up in the hecticness of day to day life and trying to walk on my own 2 feet, forgetting that God is constantly there walking with me hand-in-hand, I have to force myself take a minute of stillness and really open my eyes to the wonders that surround us (I specifically have a soft spot for sunsets/sunrises, nature, and people watching–really seeing the infectious happiness and joy in others). Once I take these few minutes to re-center and focus on God’s presence in my life and the gifts that he gives me daily, it helps see everything with a little more clarity and perspective!
From Julie, one of the most joyful people I know:
As for your ideas on how to foster God in my daily life, my first thought was that I cheat by keeping a cross on my finger, prayer cards on my desk, artwork on the walls, even an image of St Francis in my car. I surround myself with triggers that invite me to remember, ah, yes, I am a spirit in a physical body, not a physical body alone and disconnected from the rest of life. And, of course, anything splendid in nature is an invitation to praise God for his incredibly bounty. Just as He prepared wine for hundreds and fed the thousands and knows the number of hairs on our head, he filled our planet (universe) with an overwhelming richness of diversity, some practical and intelligible and some seemingly irrational or repugnant. Nature shows are art galleries of God’s handiwork!
Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction.
With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.
0 Comments