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I Saw God Today
Today we have a special guest blog post from our friend Marla ….
I saw God today. I was sitting outside a downtown coffee shop when a boy about 15 approached a homeless man and gave him the shoes off his feet. They were nice shoes, way nicer than the hole-filled, sole-flapping things that the man wore before this kid showed up. The boy walked off with his friends wearing only socks. He was smiling. It blew my mind, but God tends to do that.
I heard God speak today. A young man confessed an insensitive act to a youth minister who had been the butt of his joke. The youth minister took the boy’s hand and said, “I forgive you.”
God visited a woman abandoned in a Nashville nursing home and made her laugh.
God walked into a podcast and a chat room last night and so many other nights and filled it with love and laughter and connection and all manner of good things.
I felt God’s touch today when a physical therapist massaged and loosened the muscles in my body that had grown stiff from the constant pain in my long bones.
I saw God today. There was a huge fight, protesters and counter-protesters, angry people everywhere. The group settled inexplicably when my friend, a nun, wordlessly walked into their midst holding a sign that said, simply, “Love.”
I lose God, sometimes, but then I open my eyes. Wherever God’s people gather, God can be found. Evident in everything from ocean waves to loyal dogs, God is most present to me in other people.
Where have you seen God lately?
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Marla I loved your blog post! Your observations are really eye and ear opening for me in the many small and big ways God presents to us each day. God was present to me today when Button sat on my lap this morning and told her about what was going on today. And that the most important thing was that we love her more today than yesterday. And in saying that both M and I felt God through Button’s eyes. Thanks for your post, little things so count and are so easy to miss.
Great post, Marla! As I read it, I thought about how our capacity to see God is related to our capacity to be deeply aware of the world around us. To see God in all things, we gotta see the things first
Oh, Sr. Max – Love this – “we gotta see the things first . . . ” I’m going to carry this one around for a while today and see where it takes me!
it’s funny you put it that way, max. i am very much NOT a visual person. once, my grandmother lost 50 pounds in a month and i didn’t even notice. i don’t see what shoes someone is wearing or what car they drive, but i do tend to see happenings. i see interactions. i notice how people speak to one another and i see the emotion in a person’s reaction to an event. i love what you said, and i will be practicing even more to “see the things first.”
Seeing the “thing” first is so important. My grandfather – who was born in the early 1900s — always made a point to my Mother, which she passed on to me (and my siblings) that you have to look at people. When there’s a homeless or disheveled person on the street, you cannot look passed him/her or around or above him/her — you must look at him/her. You cannot stay comfortable by not seeing, by not looking. This has been a priceless gift!
Oh and another thing – I love that you said “sometimes I lose God.” Boy can I relate! I lose God a lot! I am thankful every day that I log-into anunslife.org and listen and see all who are in the chat room and/or read the blog postings, or talk with M about something that came up because I want to know the background or whatever. Sometimes I do lose God and you are so right that by “opening your eyes” you can as Sr Max said – see things for the first time. I am so thankful.
kbart–some weeks i lose god more often than i don’t. you’re right, though: god is to be found at anunslife.org.
Marla, amazing post.
I saw God in a lot of places today. The tulips that showed up in one of the courtyards outside my school today made me smile during a class that usually makes me cringe(accounting). My friend Kaitlyn wrote a short note today telling me how grateful she is to have me around, which completely caught me off-guard. I saw God in a post you and sj had on Facebook about “not rejoice[ing] in death,even of a tyrant.”
I was off of school for a week for Easter, and found God in an unexpected place. I’d hurt my knee at mass the week before Easter, and saw a specialist to get it checked. He didn’t look at me like a kid, and really listened to what I said about my pain. He just listened and actually cared that he was going to help me feel better.
tulips make me smile every time.
I saw God in my rearview mirror today … not that God was tailgating or anything but that I was speeding around and not going calmly enough to notice God anywhere else. Fortunately God out-maneuvered me and I saw God in a wet, furry nuzzle from the dog next door.
Made me stop, breathe, and remember God.
haha, jules. god outmaneuvers us all–let us rejoice!
Marla, this post made me cry. I’m sappy like that sometimes… but this was a welcome read today after seeing so much hate spewed on the social networks.
Btw, I see God every time I go visit Mom on the memory care wing.
the hatred has been overwhelming, leeann. jubilation at a man’s death is far from right, but most of the folks spouting evil seem to profess christianity. that kills me. i’m glad you get to see god often.
A cardinal sang to me this morning on my way in to work. It chose a branch among the few blossoms of a half-dead apple tree to show its ruby glory and share its exuberant song. So, with all our imperfections, God chooses us to show his glory.
I saw God today, too. She gave me treats, but I had to ask and ask for them. Sometimes I’m not very patient, but I always get a response in the end.
I strained to see God today in the midst of the celebration of the death of a man. I remembered that God was in that midst, reaching out to each and every one there; offering to take away their fear and their pain, ready to tansform their reactions into actions of love.
I saw God today in the purring of little Fiona, so happy just to be held and snuggled.
I saw God today in the most beautiful Red Cardinal resting near the road as I drove home from work.
I saw God today when I read these loving insightful posts from each of you ~ so grateful to have this loving place to visit as often as possible!
Cate, beautiful response!
I saw God in the beautiful faces of over 500 elementary school kids today. While I may be stressed over the difficult task of teaching them and gripe about the sleepless nights and difficult behaviors, I see God in them everyday which gives me hope for a brighter tomorrow filled with love and peace. I saw God in a cuddly little frog who has been my friend and comfort for many moons. I heard God in the laughter of a dear friend. I saw God in the comforting and compassionate words of co workers. I felt God in the gentle breeze of the cool spring air. I felt God in my heart as He helped me to understand the heart of another human being who is suffering greatly. Thanks Marla for a wonderful post.
ahhhh…children!
I have seen God today in the many posts on Facebook which reminded us that we serve a God of love and peace. I was initially very disturbed by the celebratory tone of so many posts rejoicing over the death of an enemy, but as the day progressed, there have been more and more of those posts reminding us of the teachings of Christ. So now, for me, the balance has moved from dismay to joy in knowing that I am in fellowship with so many saints!