Oftentimes the idea of “spending time with God” is heavily emphasized and that we must make an effort to dedicate time every day to be with our Savior. Despite the importance of establishing intentional time with Our Lord, one could argue that with the progressive mentality and increase of busyness that accompanies the 21st century, the sweet and beautiful act of simply meditating in the presence of our Lord has become a difficult chore. But what if the script was flipped? What if the phrase became “Christ spends time with us” ? The idea of dedicating time to God may seem to us like His presence flickers on and off according to our attentiveness when in fact, He is always present- in all moments. It is a matter of whether or not we acknowledge this truth as it is written in Jeremiah 29:12-13
“ Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
God is not only present in the 15 minutes we neglect to dedicate to Him every day. He is present in the 2 minutes you are in line at Starbucks and in the 25-minute bus ride to another campus. The small prayers and conversations you have with Him in those moments have an unimaginably large magnitude that impacts your everyday decisions and ultimately the trajectory of your spiritual life. Tasting the sweetness of Our Lord Jesus Christ in those moments will encourage you to overlook what we call the “difficulty” of setting aside time every day and overcome the human flaw that is our inability to place God at the top of our priorities and the center of our lives. Those times when we wished we had a sibling or close friend with us in a class or in a particular situation- those are the times when we forget that we are forever accompanied by the greatest friend and most loving heavenly Father. We must learn to turn to Our Lord and Savior in our weakest moments and even in our funny ones- no literally turn to Him, He is right next to you!
Although God’s intangibility may seem like an obstacle, it is in fact a blessing that the being who holds unconditional love for us is not bound by time, physical location, and other earthly restrictions. But how do we learn to be aware of God’s presence? Talking to God can be like writing in a journal- it is the idea of processing our thoughts and daily encounters with Christ. Likewise, Father Abraham mentioned in the most recent OCCM meeting, “When you are aware of God’s presence, you will never cease prayer”. This can even be in the form of humming hymns or spiritual songs, wondering and asking questions, marveling at your surroundings, offering thanksgiving, and even praying for peace for the girl who seems frustrated in your recitation or for the boy who didn’t quite make it to the bus in time. Building these habits will allow you to taste the sweetness that comes from dwelling in the enveloping joy of Christ and you will begin to desire nothing less.