Pouring the coffee. Sitting down in my favorite chair. Walking to work. Bedtime with my son. All these moments and a million more, together they make up a life.
It’s amazing how many of these moments I don’t even notice; I’m so busy rushing on to something more important. Sometimes these simple moments that make up the substance of my life can even seem like obstacles to me. But God is there, present in the traffic jam. Power, breath, and purpose is waiting for me in my toddler’s emotional meltdown. Every day holds a heroic quest, a challenge to overcome, even if it’s just my own attempt to go through the day blessing – not cursing – each person that I meet. Whether they help me or hurt me.
I’ve got this deeply-ingrained tendency to flee the present moment. Maybe you do, too. Maybe that’s why God has always taught us in simple things, moments that we thought were ordinary but turned out to contain the presence of the holy. The burning bush. Bread and wine. Seed and salt and mustard seeds. Feet washed with fragrant perfume and heartfelt tears.
Jesus is like that. He meets me in the everyday. When I roll out of bed, go on my morning run, take my walk to the train, or sit down at my desk at work – he’s there, staring back at me. He’s present when I’m angry or sad or laughing – or all of the above. He patiently waits for me to awaken, to see the simple opportunities I have each day to experience joy and demonstrate love to those around me.
The kingdom of God is not something for later. It is right now, present in each breath. The reign of God shimmers just beneath the surface of every moment, every interaction. Will I open my eyes to see it? Will I open the blinds and let the light shine in? Will I embrace the joy and peace that is available to me in every coffee cup, train track, green tree, and tall building? God made it all. His fingerprints are all over the creation.
He is with us always, even to the end of the age. Jesus has promised his presence – not just in some future heaven, but right here and now. Look around you. He’s here in your flesh and blood. Open your eyes. He lives in you.