GOD CARES

Today's scripture reminds us that God cares about everything in our lives. I take that literally and make a practice of praying about everything from lost earrings to the deepest concerns of my heart. Yes, lost earrings. And finding just the right gift for my mother. And whether we should get a dog.

Do I think that God is a magic answer machine? No, but I believe deeply that God loves me as His precious child, and just as I want to know what is on my children's hearts, I believe that God yearns for me to talk to Him about what is on mine. And here's the miraculous thing: When I pray, my heart and mind become acutely aware of the evidence of God's presence all around me. And it is indeed all around us. All we have to do is look. God's love pours down on us like the sunshine, every single day. His grace is in the tiniest things – the phone call that comes at just the right time, the funny story that makes me laugh until I cry, the curve of my sleeping child's cheek.

The other day, I dropped a contact lens in the bathroom. I spent 10 fruitless minutes looking for it, then had to leave. When I got home, I decided to try looking one more time. I realized I hadn't thoroughly searched the floor, so I got down on my knees – no luck. But then I happened to glance up, and there was the lens, hiding in plain sight on the bathroom counter. (Sometimes spiritual lessons are so obvious!) When I get down on my knees, my perspective changes, and I can see what has been right in front of me all along: God's loving activity in my life, in every part of my life. So you might try praying about that meeting, or the letter you should write. Maybe, like me, you'll learn that God's answer will be: "I love you. I am here. I will never leave you. I will help you with everything that faces you today."

— Sue Warrick

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist