The Middles

A few weeks ago, our youth spent a week up in the mountains of Montreat, North Carolina – at a conference geared just for them. Every year the worship is incredible. Friendships are built. Relationships are deepened. The energy is tremendous. And on our last day, the preacher reminded us that this was quite literally a mountain top experience. And, that at these high points in life, we often do sense God’s presence.

You probably have had moments in life like that – maybe on a spiritual retreat, or at the birth of a baby, or at a Christmas concert, or in a breathtaking corner of creation. However, the truth is, so much of life is not lived there. We come down from those highs, we go back to school, back to work. There are dishes to do, laundry to fold, problems to deal with… Life is lived in the middles where God’s presence is often not so evident.

But God does meet us there as well. It is not always in a blaze of fire, or at a spiritual high. Sometimes God meets us in the quiet moments of prayer or silence, sometimes in conversation with others, or in simple acts of hospitality.

I pray today that in the middles of life, our hearts would ever be attuned. Especially in the less obvious moments, may we be open to the in-breaking of God’s Spirit.

Let us pray: In our everyday life, O God, give us eyes perceptive enough to sense your presence. Infuse us with your grace, joy, and hope – even when we least expect it. Draw us now closer to you. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.