We find ourselves in the midst of another Lenten season and as we prepare our hearts and mind for Holy Week and Easter, I have been reminded of how important it is to slow down and notice God in every area of our lives. At youth group we are doing a series called "Every Day: Eight Weeks of Noticing God More." I have realized just how easily I tend to rush to start my day, even throwing in a time of prayer and Bible study and yet I spend the rest of the day on my own terms, checking off my to-do lists and forgetting to invite God in EVERY area of my life, including the seemingly mundane and boring things like grocery shopping and paying bills.
It is during this season of Lent that we practice giving things up in our lives to help us remember to rely on and to acknowledge what God has done for us and is continuing to do in our lives. We have been asking our High School students each week at youth group where they have noticed God in their everyday lives throughout the past week. I love hearing their answers, everything from Him giving them strength during an athletic competition, to noticing Him in his beautiful nature in their yard. Their answers have inspired me to notice God more as I drive by the beautiful pink trees on Elk Grove Blvd on the way to church, or watch him answer little unspoken prayers. He is everywhere and in everything; all we need to do is take the time to look for him. He always reveals himself to us when we ask.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)
