“Are you in the present moment? Right now, this is where God calls you to be.”

We live busy lives full with things we ought to do, want to do and might do, if there is time. Our actions reflect what is important to us. Family, friends, work/school, put demands on us – and bring us much joy. How can we nurture our faith in the midst of busy lives? First, we need to realize that faith practice does not take us outside of our lives but brings us more deeply into our living. We pray in the midst of our chaos. We live out our faith through actual practices because we seek a way of life that touches and changes us and those around us.

Your spiritual practices may vary depending on what stage of life you are in. Young families can make “sacred” the ordinary activities of their lives: preparing meals, playing with the kids, changing diapers, giving baths, reading books at story-time. Are you in the present moment? Right now, this is where God calls you to be. How can you find God in the experiences of home life? Families with school age children who spend significant parts of the day chauffeuring the kids to activities can do so in a “mindful” way. Night time can be times to connect and share about the day. Where were you kind, loving, patient as God is with us?

One of my favorite, simple prayers that can easily be said anytime throughout a day is “Be still and know that I am God”. I need to be reminded to slow down and just be. This prayer can be said very slowly… and drop off different words as you say the prayer slowly. “Be still and know that I am… Be still and know… Be still… Be.” Just be with your God, with your life, with yourself.

What a wonderful gift we can give ourselves is to live simply and just be grateful.

Each month, there will be this column of reflection on how we can nurture our faith. In the future, we will look at concrete ways that will help us grow in our relationship with God that honors the busy lives we all lead.