By: Jer
Reflecting on Tim’s sermon this past week, it seems like there is just so much to do trying to live the right way. You could do the rituals and routines, but to really make sure your heart is in the right place, that’s hard. It’s a huge challenge to really live the way God calls us to. We can’t just settle or be complacent. We can’t just do what we’ve always done. We have to continue to grow and be transformed. Yet, I can feel my own resistance to it, because it almost feels like another thing to do, simply more work.
The problem for many of us, or me at least, is it’s easy to expect and pay attention to the things I have to do. It’s what I have control over. I know if I do it, I will be doing what God wants. It might be a lot of work, but if I can get it done, it will be worth it. So, even though it might be hard, I try, but there is this overwhelming pressure to get it right.
This past week, I was challenged to see God in the people around me. It was an interesting process to sit, be still, and pay attention to what God was doing. I happened to be in the Fairview Mall food court as I was trying to find God in the everyday places. At first, there was this overarching sense that God was present in this place. Then as I was looking at individual people, it was almost as though God was physically present right beside each person in the food court. There was this sense that He was protecting them, enjoying life with them, inviting them to respond to Him. It was an awareness of God being actively at work all around me.
For me, when I actively look for what God is doing, a huge burden is lifted off my shoulders. I see how active He is, I know He is already working and has started the work that He calls me to. God is invested in the people around me. It’s not just on me. It’s only when I focus on my tasks, that I feel the pressure. Although my default is to just pay attention to my own work, I am regularly challenged to create space to pay attention to what God is doing all around me.
How are you actively paying attention to what God is doing in and around you?