Daily Bread June 05

We Do Not Journey Alone
David Nii of Centennial, CO, USA


Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? …How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them-they are more than the sand; I come to the end-I am still with you. -Psalm 139:7, 17-18

As I live deeper into the second half of my life, I try hard to avoid busyness as a priority. It’s an illusion. Poets, artists, and sages urge me to be fully present to see, hear, feel, and experience the joy of each moment. But this perspective on life is easier stated than lived. In our age of ultra-fast communications and infinite, optional activities, being energetically active, on the move, and running to our next vital appointment in an over-committed calendar seems to be the measure of a full and valuable life. I am not surprised. For many people a contemplative connection with God is either unimportant, embraced only temporarily when personally useful, or relegated to a habitual hour or so once a week.

My two-year-old granddaughter is a wonderful motivator for experiencing an alternative to the autopilot life of busyness. I dare not take our relationship for granted because it is a dynamic connection that develops only through regular times of being together. Time together has a fascinating meaning with grandchildren. Each encounter is a new unfolding experience without need for judgment or predefined expectation. Each moment is best understood as a spontaneous response to what is needed and most important at the time. Although it is impossible to predict how our relationship will evolve, I celebrate in joy as my granddaughter and I become inescapably bound to each other.

How amazing life becomes when I am willing and able to connect with others as I do with my granddaughter. I believe that experience is the very nature of God. The words of Psalm 139 echo in my mind as I am reminded we do not journey alone. All life is connected through God’s ongoing companionship. In our best moments of awareness, the reality of never-ending relationship is like the joy-filled love between grandparent and grandchild. It fills us with peace and hope.

Prayer Phrase

Wherever I am, God is here.

Spiritual Practice

Breathe deeply and prayerfully consider the story you have just read. What is the Spirit’s invitation to you in these words? What does it look like to wake up to God’s presence in this moment?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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