Linking with God on the Paths of Life
Recently when the church gathered at my house I was so busy getting ready for “the meeting” that I totally ignored the presence of my grandchildren. That is not a good thing. Those guys are the light of my life. How could I be so focused on doing “some thing” that I neglected being with “some one”. When the house was empty and put back in order I realized what I had done. They were gone and I had barely spoken to them. The feeling of loss hit me like a punch in the stomach.
As bad as it is not acknowledging my boys when they are in my house, it’s not as bad as ignoring God who is continuously with me. I mean, isn’t He supposed to be the light of my life?
That’s what my life habit of “Linking” is all about – being aware of the presence of God and others in my life. My goal is to start every day conscious of the fact that God is with me and then to reside in His presence all through the day. It’s amazing that when I get linking with God right how easy it is to link with others.
Let me encourage you to practice the presence of God in your life today.
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11 NIV)
Sometimes I get it right and sometimes I don’t, but I keep practicing.
Grace and Peace,
Terry
Join the conversation: How about you? What are some things that you do that helps you focus on the presence of God in your life?
Tagged with: Linking
Filed under: Life Habits
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I think your analogy is good, but it brings to mind the times that I ignore my wife, and she is “always” there.
Your point is interesting that we are inclined to ignore or link with God and it often takes effort in order to be linked with God.
I often wish and I have tried in the past to set up automatic reminder to link myself with God, but then I get into the habit of ignoring the reminder. The discipline, I believe, is to take the time to be link.
Aaron, I’m glad you joined the conversation!
It does take effort to link. I have practiced disciplining myself in this area through the years. Yet, after all this time, I still ignore my relationship with the Savior from time to time. I have learned that when I practice consciously linking with God throughout the day it help be be a better “linker” to Beth and others in my circle of influence.
One of the areas I struggle in is making the meeting about the meeting instead of about linking and transformation. I am striving to do better in this area and continue to grow in the discipline.
Hi Terry! I’d like to share that our cell has been talking about daily rhythms and how we can, as you put it, “link” ourselves up with God during those rhythms. I am learning that as I take the effort to become more aware of what I am doing, I find that God is never too far away. Here is a little snapshot of some of the ways I try to link up with God:
- I have a “bread-making” rhythm for my family…I make homemade bread when we are out & do not buy any from the store…I pray “As Jesus is the bread of life, may this bread I make for those I love be a part of bringing them life to its fullest.”
- While brushing my teeth, I have thought that while my toothbrush cleans my mouth physically, I ask that God would cleanse my mouth spiritually as well. I remember when Jesus says, “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’” And I ask God in his mercy to forgive me for the evil things that have come from my mouth (& ultimately my heart). And I ask the Holy Spirit to guide me to instead speak truth, love & encouragement. And I offer up my mouth to Him.
- When reading the newspaper in the morning (we get the Dallas Morning News’ The Briefing for free Wednesday through Saturday), I find someone who needs prayer or I find a witness to the Lord’s goodness, graciousness, and mercy. I used to just ‘gulp down’ and ‘gawk’ at the stories in news. Now I seek how the Lord is at work in those stories.
Also, the “Shower Prayer” you gave to us is in our kids’/guest bathroom. The prayer is a wonderful reminder link up to God – when I use the shower in there I find myself taking a spiritual shower as well!
Thank you so much.
Sandi, your employing a conscious linking with God in the everyday routines of life is awesome. Thanks for the comments. I have practiced praying through the newspaper for some time now and it really provides a different view of the news.
busy getting ready for the meeting….so like me…..great blog today!
Lindsay, thanks for being a fellow traveler. I always appreciate your transparency. Isn’t it amazing that even in our attempt to be simple, we still get caught up in the trap of busy work?