Walking In His Presence
“Hush, hush, somebody’s calling my name
Sounds like Jesus. Somebody’s calling my name.”
Walking step by step in Jesus’ presence through this precious Advent time, may we behold the Christ Child as He steps into our lives, into our minds, into our hearts and bodies. For there is nowhere that Christ isn’t. But it is up to us to find the awareness within us of Him in everything we do. In everything we say. In everything we are.
For Christ is always with us. He is always present and working in and through our lives. But, we mostly are unaware of Him. We live as if He only existed in the past, as if the world were all that there is and human values and desires are the only things that count. We live as if He is not always calling us, sowing seeds in our lives to call us back to Him.
If we practice in our daily lives seeking his input and direction, if we walk step by step with Him, He will guide us to our own purpose and fulfillment in Him. It is a gradual process of removing the things in our lives—attitudes and preferences and expectations, the hidden pain and suffering we’ve endured—that block us from seeing what is already true about us: we live and have our being in Christ; He walks with us through everything whether we know it or not; He is the one constant in our lives—His blessings, His grace are sufficient for us always.
Now, we just need to open our eyes to see the truth of what I am writing now. If we slow down our lives and open our eyes and ears, we can see all this revealed to us, even in the materialism of the Christmas season. If we ask for Him to reveal Himself to us, He will. Remember that He said that the kingdom of God is all around us, in us and among us.[1]
So often we think that we are in charge of our lives—that we have a firm grip on what happens to us. But I would say that is a myth! How many times has your life turned a corner and not looked at all like you expected it to be? How many times—like not having a baby when that was all I wanted in life, or losing a loved one, or not getting the job you wanted—have you been disappointed or felt robbed of what you really wanted? How many times has a hurricane or other disaster struck your life?
We cling to the illusion of control because it suits us. We are a captive of the world’s view of what is and what should be. God does not think like any person ever has or did. He is not limited by how people think. He sees the whole picture of our lives and how He created us to be. “Come, walk with me” Christ says, “into the life that is coming to you directly from God. Come, be all that you can be. Come, welcome the new baby, the new direction that is happening in your life and live in His presence.”
Wake up to an awareness of what already is true. Wake up to the adventure of living in His presence. Wake up to all that He has in store for you.
Hear the carols, forget the ads! Let Jesus show us what to think, to do, how to be in this season. Think differently about how we express our love for our loved ones. Ask Jesus what He would do for gifts for our loved ones. Ask Him, partner with Him in everything!
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Questions to ponder over the week: Do I walk hand-in-hand with Jesus? Is He the source of inspiration for all that I do? Have I asked Him: How can I step out of the world and into your kingdom? How do I take on the mind of Christ? Am I devoted to His guidance, listening for it in everything I do, following Him as best I can, giving Him the reins of my life? (Just work with the questions that call you.)
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Blessing for the week: May we be the people of God who walk with Him hand-in-hand. May we follow wherever He would lead us. May we live in gratitude and love and forgiveness for ourselves and for everyone.
Check out my other website, deepeningyourfaith.com, for information about spiritual practices and more writings about the spiritual life.
I am collecting conversion stories. I am still not sure what the Lord’s intention is for collecting these, but if you would care to share yours, I would only use your initials to identify the author.
[1] Luke 17:21, Matthew 3:2, 4:17, Mark 1:15