Wednesday, July 29, 2020
#Blessed
“Attentive presence can allow us to see how many blessings there are for us to receive: the blessings of the poor who stop us on the road, the blessings of the blossoming trees and fresh flowers that tell us about new life, the blessings of music, painting, sculpture, and architecture–all of that–but most of all the blessings that come to us through words of gratitude, encouragement, affection and love. These many blessings do not have to be invented. They are there, surrounding us on all sides, but we have to be present to them and receive them.” page 81
Nouwen wrote this little book to a friend who he was inviting to know God the way that he knew God. Here, he invites his friend to try to practice “presence” to see God. The practice of presence, of seeing and noticing, can be a lost art these days. We’re quick to throw out a #blessed when we get stuff like a house or a vacation, things that the working poor struggle for, but fail to recognize God in the little things that surround us. These little things might be a bird on our window sill, the crown molding in your living room, the color of the sky or the way the grass feels between your toes. God is there.
Pray for the discipline to practice “presence” this week, that you would notice the ways God is working around you, and prayerfully respond with gratitude for God’s grace.
Question to Ponder: When is the best time of day for me to practice “presence” with God?
This week’s devotions are adapted from the book, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri J.M. Nouwen. Crossroad Publishing, New York. 2014.
#Blessed
“Attentive presence can allow us to see how many blessings there are for us to receive: the blessings of the poor who stop us on the road, the blessings of the blossoming trees and fresh flowers that tell us about new life, the blessings of music, painting, sculpture, and architecture–all of that–but most of all the blessings that come to us through words of gratitude, encouragement, affection and love. These many blessings do not have to be invented. They are there, surrounding us on all sides, but we have to be present to them and receive them.” page 81
Nouwen wrote this little book to a friend who he was inviting to know God the way that he knew God. Here, he invites his friend to try to practice “presence” to see God. The practice of presence, of seeing and noticing, can be a lost art these days. We’re quick to throw out a #blessed when we get stuff like a house or a vacation, things that the working poor struggle for, but fail to recognize God in the little things that surround us. These little things might be a bird on our window sill, the crown molding in your living room, the color of the sky or the way the grass feels between your toes. God is there.
Pray for the discipline to practice “presence” this week, that you would notice the ways God is working around you, and prayerfully respond with gratitude for God’s grace.
Question to Ponder: When is the best time of day for me to practice “presence” with God?
This week’s devotions are adapted from the book, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri J.M. Nouwen. Crossroad Publishing, New York. 2014.
