Where is God? In our planning, where is He? In our day-to-day routine, where is He?
When we stack the dishwasher and our mind wanders, where does it wander? To the conflict we had with a family member and to our justification of our viewpoint? Or to Christ in us and our role as peacemakers who seek reconciliation rather than retribution? When we drive to work, do we plot our great success, whatever it takes, or do we consider the consequences and fallout for others in our great whatever-it-takes plan?
God is in our moments. When we are angry, He is there. Not as our judge but as our counselor and advisor. When we are afraid, He is there. Not as our accuser, but as our comforter and confidant. When we have decisions to make, He is there. Not as our dictator, but as our advocate and champion.
The outcomes of our moments depend on whether we lean into our all-knowing creator or into our own-limited selves. The outcomes of our life depend not so much on our annual goals and plans but rather on the choices we make in the moments.
The big question we need to answer then is, “Where is God?”
Planning for a new year and a new decade can feel overwhelming. What if, instead, we plan for each moment and, in each moment, we see God and we welcome him. Our day and our year and our decade will be filled with outcomes that will be righteous and that bring us peace and joy.
Christ in our moments will bring us not the rewards of our own great (or terrible) kingdom but instead, our reward will be all the good things of the kingdom of God.
At Orchard: Africa, when our collective minds wander, we seek and welcome Christ on the journey and we ask him to lead us on paths of peace and goodness and care and love that never fails. Henri Nouwen speaks well into where God is:
“God is where we are weak, vulnerable, small, and dependent. God is where the poor are, the hungry, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the elderly, the powerless. How can we come to know God when our focus is elsewhere, on success, influence, and power? I increasingly believe that our faithfulness will depend on our willingness to go where there is brokenness, loneliness, and human need. . .”
May we think on these things!
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