How To See God In The Little Things
When you talk about God, what image comes to mind? Is it a Michelangelo-type God, with a white beard, on a throne, stretching his hand out to you? Does a peaceful field pop into your brain, a color, or perhaps a smell? Do you imagine God to be a united couple?
How we picture our Heavenly Parent is not as important as our relationship with and our recognition of the way He or She works in our lives. Without a personal relationship, we start to feel an emptiness, a God-shaped hole in our hearts. But how do we even begin to develop a relationship?
Notice the Little Things
God is almost never revealed to us in the obvious, easy ways: We don’t hear a clap of thunder or a booming voice to get our attention as often as we would like. Sometimes the subtlety frustrates us; how easy life would be if God was more straight-forward!
Sometimes, God’s way of communicating with us doesn’t even seem like guidance, they can seem more like hints. God works in our lives through situations, or conversations with friends. We are embraced by God us when we walk out of an air-conditioned building and feel our skin kissed by the warm sun. Maybe we feel God in the peace of a deep breath, or a sudden burst of gratitude toward a parent we haven’t called in a while.
Choose to hear God’s voice
However, there are times when God’s involvement is a little bit more clear. Maybe you find yourself in a difficult situation at school or at work. Maybe you’re forced to weigh your immediate response against the correct response, and you decide to take the higher road. Maybe you’re constantly faced with challenges, or “opportunities to grow.” We find ourselves dragged into a situation kicking and screaming—only to realize later that it was the best thing that ever happened to us - God tends to reveal Himself to us through hindsight.
People may call these moments coincidences, but if you claim it as God’s voice, then it is. God is everywhere, all the time. The Cheon Seong Gyeong tells us that God is as pervasive as the “air around us. The air is there, but we do not feel it. If we are unaware of the air circulating around us, how can we be aware of God?” (CSG 1,1.1). So be it a butterfly or an angry coworker, we can assume that God is guiding our life, helping us grow.
Develop a Unique Relationship
One of the most precious lessons we can learn is that, as unique individuals, our own relationships with God are unique. We see and understand God in ways that nobody else in history ever could. He speaks to us in different ways, and we hear and respond to His guidance accordingly.
Do you laugh with God? Have you thought about including God in your inside jokes? According to Father Moon, founder of the Unification faith, God loves a good laugh: “God also likes jokes very much. He likes humor. Who do you think the great king of humor is? It is God. He has a good sense of humor because He is all-knowing and all-powerful. Who is the great king who can make others roll around laughing, laugh until they burst and fall over? It is God. I am saying that this great king is God (CSG 1, 4.1).”
Let’s seek to involve God in our lives. We should choose to recognize His hand in the little things as much as the big, the good things as much as the challenging. We don’t only want to thank him for steering us, but we want to have conversations with Him. We want to have a relationship of mutual trust and understanding. We should be able to joke and laugh with Him. If we don’t understand his reasons behind something, we should feel comfortable enough to tell him so. As in all relationships, communication is key. We should be partners in building this life together.
How does God speak to you? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments below!