My pastor asked us all to read a book called Present Perfect. It feeds off of the famous book by the Medieval monk, Brother Lawrence, Practicing the Presence of God.
We all want to spend as much time as we can with those we love, and those who love us. So, why do we find it so hard to squeeze in time for the one who wants to hang out with us so much He hung on a cross to make that happen?
In Present Perfect the author, Gregory Boyd, explains why it so hard. We are trapped in the secular world concept of linear time: past, present and what we can’t see– the future.
God is beyond time. He is always present whether we acknowledge that fact or not.
God told Moses to call him I AM, not I once was or I will be.
The lifestyle practice both authors suggest is to sense God’s presence in your life as you go through your day. Here is an exercise I learned years ago on a retreat that may help:
- Hover your hand next to your cheek as close as you can without touching it.
- Within a minute you will begin to feel the warmth.
- Now imagine that is God’s presence.