om•ni•pres•ent: present in all places at all times; Function: adjective
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:1-10
One weekend my sister and brother-in-law, otherwise known as Tiffany and Marc, went out of town. I had the privilege of keeping my nephews while they were away, which is quite a job. Not because they are out of control, but because kids depend on you for everything, and since my dog is pretty content as long as I feed him and take him outside, having three kids for the weekend is an adjustment. On top of the million things that go on in the life of three children on a regular day, it was baseball season. This particular season, John Austin was playing baseball and Reeder was playing T-ball, Ellis was wishing he was old enough to play either! I was so proud because we made it to the ball fields with 3 clean boys (temporary as it was), uniforms in their entirety, all of the right equipment, and we made it on time. For about an hour, John Austin, Ellis and I cheered Reeder and his team on – with Gatorade and Ring-pops to go around. A short time later, Reed, Ellis and I cheered for John Austin’s team with yet another round of sugary treats. Both boys had really great games, and after we loaded up all of the equipment, and three not-so-squeaky-clean boys, we headed home.
As we were driving, I was telling both boys how proud I was of their games that day. They played great, husseled, paid attention, and all with great attitudes, which I of course reiterated was the most important part. As we discussed the details of their games, John Austin made the comment that he knew Jesus was out on the field with him when he had made a particularly great hit. I told him how right he was, and thought to myself how precious it was that in his child-like way, he recognized that God was, and is, with us in every part of our lives – even at baseball games. Well, the conversation didn’t end there. Reeder asked John Austin how he knew Jesus was with him on the baseball field, and being the wiser, older brother, John Austin took the opportunity to explain to his little brothers that Jesus is, in fact, everywhere we are, every day. The backseat went silent for a few minutes – my nephews are great conversationalists, but I enjoyed the beauty of silence, if only for a short time! Reeder finally spoke up, and asked John Austin if Jesus is everywhere, is He with us in the car right now? John Austin wisely responded that not only was Jesus in the car with us right now, but He’s with us when we’re sleeping, he’s with us when we go to school, and he’s even with us when we go to the bathroom. Once again, silence hovered. In my rearview mirror, I saw Reeder stretch his arms out, then his right arm ‘accidentally’ hit the back of the seat. He, in all seriousness, said ‘Oh, sorry, God’. Just a second later, he ‘accidentally’ elbowed the side of Ellis’s car seat. Once again, apologizing to God for hitting him. God is, after all, everywhere. I quietly laughed in the front seat, because it was hilarious to watch. This went on for several more minutes, until we got to the house and I announced that it was bath-time, with quiet-time immediately following. The moment of time that Reed experienced a sweet, child-like interpretation of God’s omnipresence quickly turned into the raw, child-like meltdown of three very tired boys, understanding that the time of horizontal solitude - that may lead to an accidental nap - was quickly approaching. I don’t know who needed a nap the most, the boys or me. Did I mention what hard work fill-in parenting is?!
Over the next several months, I told this story several times before realizing the great, underlying significance it held. Oh, to experience God through the eyes of a child. God is as real and as present as Reeder perceived. If that’s the case, and I am confident it is, I have to ask myself why I don’t make all of my decisions knowing that God is right there with me. How do I speak harsh words knowing that He’s part of the conversation? Why do I dwell on loneliness if He’s always there to listen, and to speak? Why do I try to hide from Him, when in my deepest, darkest moments, He’s right there, with his arms stretched out to pick me up?
My desire is to live every moment as if God is physically right next to me. Every time I reach out to hug someone that isn't as loveable as my closest friends, I want to remember that God is hugging them, too. Every time I stand in line at Target (and my line, which was the shortest to start with, seems to go 10 times slower than all other lines), I want to genuinely smile at the attendant instead of roll my eyes, because I don't know what happened in her life earlier that day.
I challenge you over the next few days to pretend that God is physically next to you. What do your conversations sound like? Does the tone in your voice reflect love & kindness? Do your actions display a servant's heart?
By the way, I'm not there yet! This is one of my many daily battles. My prayer is that each day I'll be just a little more aware than the day before, and be able to look back one day and see true change, from the inside out.
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:1-10
One weekend my sister and brother-in-law, otherwise known as Tiffany and Marc, went out of town. I had the privilege of keeping my nephews while they were away, which is quite a job. Not because they are out of control, but because kids depend on you for everything, and since my dog is pretty content as long as I feed him and take him outside, having three kids for the weekend is an adjustment. On top of the million things that go on in the life of three children on a regular day, it was baseball season. This particular season, John Austin was playing baseball and Reeder was playing T-ball, Ellis was wishing he was old enough to play either! I was so proud because we made it to the ball fields with 3 clean boys (temporary as it was), uniforms in their entirety, all of the right equipment, and we made it on time. For about an hour, John Austin, Ellis and I cheered Reeder and his team on – with Gatorade and Ring-pops to go around. A short time later, Reed, Ellis and I cheered for John Austin’s team with yet another round of sugary treats. Both boys had really great games, and after we loaded up all of the equipment, and three not-so-squeaky-clean boys, we headed home.
As we were driving, I was telling both boys how proud I was of their games that day. They played great, husseled, paid attention, and all with great attitudes, which I of course reiterated was the most important part. As we discussed the details of their games, John Austin made the comment that he knew Jesus was out on the field with him when he had made a particularly great hit. I told him how right he was, and thought to myself how precious it was that in his child-like way, he recognized that God was, and is, with us in every part of our lives – even at baseball games. Well, the conversation didn’t end there. Reeder asked John Austin how he knew Jesus was with him on the baseball field, and being the wiser, older brother, John Austin took the opportunity to explain to his little brothers that Jesus is, in fact, everywhere we are, every day. The backseat went silent for a few minutes – my nephews are great conversationalists, but I enjoyed the beauty of silence, if only for a short time! Reeder finally spoke up, and asked John Austin if Jesus is everywhere, is He with us in the car right now? John Austin wisely responded that not only was Jesus in the car with us right now, but He’s with us when we’re sleeping, he’s with us when we go to school, and he’s even with us when we go to the bathroom. Once again, silence hovered. In my rearview mirror, I saw Reeder stretch his arms out, then his right arm ‘accidentally’ hit the back of the seat. He, in all seriousness, said ‘Oh, sorry, God’. Just a second later, he ‘accidentally’ elbowed the side of Ellis’s car seat. Once again, apologizing to God for hitting him. God is, after all, everywhere. I quietly laughed in the front seat, because it was hilarious to watch. This went on for several more minutes, until we got to the house and I announced that it was bath-time, with quiet-time immediately following. The moment of time that Reed experienced a sweet, child-like interpretation of God’s omnipresence quickly turned into the raw, child-like meltdown of three very tired boys, understanding that the time of horizontal solitude - that may lead to an accidental nap - was quickly approaching. I don’t know who needed a nap the most, the boys or me. Did I mention what hard work fill-in parenting is?!
Over the next several months, I told this story several times before realizing the great, underlying significance it held. Oh, to experience God through the eyes of a child. God is as real and as present as Reeder perceived. If that’s the case, and I am confident it is, I have to ask myself why I don’t make all of my decisions knowing that God is right there with me. How do I speak harsh words knowing that He’s part of the conversation? Why do I dwell on loneliness if He’s always there to listen, and to speak? Why do I try to hide from Him, when in my deepest, darkest moments, He’s right there, with his arms stretched out to pick me up?
My desire is to live every moment as if God is physically right next to me. Every time I reach out to hug someone that isn't as loveable as my closest friends, I want to remember that God is hugging them, too. Every time I stand in line at Target (and my line, which was the shortest to start with, seems to go 10 times slower than all other lines), I want to genuinely smile at the attendant instead of roll my eyes, because I don't know what happened in her life earlier that day.
I challenge you over the next few days to pretend that God is physically next to you. What do your conversations sound like? Does the tone in your voice reflect love & kindness? Do your actions display a servant's heart?
By the way, I'm not there yet! This is one of my many daily battles. My prayer is that each day I'll be just a little more aware than the day before, and be able to look back one day and see true change, from the inside out.
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