When Are You Most Present?
#1, I’m so sorry for leaving you hanging with my Oncology appointment news. The morning of our first appointment, we were denied coverage for my MRI. Then the next week, we were assured that it was all good, and then got another call saying that we’d have to pay for it even though our Dr. ordered it. The classic part is that we just finished paying off our last $3000 from our last MRI. God bless insurance :) So I am hopefully getting an MRI this Saturday morning WITH Jesus! PS - if anyone has an MRI machine or $800,000, let me know :)
#2, How has it been staying present WITH Jesus this past week? This seems like a crazy question in some ways, because we are in the season of Advent where we celebrate the arrival and nearness of Jesus. He’s WITH us always, so aren’t we always present WITH Him? YES, YES, YES, YES, AMEN! Aaaaaand yet I forget or ignore Him all day long. 10000 MINUTES is more about us daily awakening to the reality of Jesus in all circumstances. The Practices are more of a means to an end. Jesus, awake our minds, hearts, senses and souls to your nearness today!
Here’s my first question: when are you most present with God? Think about it. When are you most aware, connected, present WITH Jesus in your day? What’s your heart’s posture in those moments? Many of our answers are going to be, when we’re praying, reading, singing, etc, and these are amazing times, but I’d love for you to think about your daily life. When are you most connected, aware, and present WITH Jesus?
For me, I’d say that I’m most present WITH Jesus when I realize that I can’t do whatever I am doing and He can. I am so dang self reliant that this becomes the battle ground for my present-ness.
When are you most present WITH Jesus? And the second question is: when are you most distracted and not present WITH Jesus? Now we all know that we can be with someone but surely not be present, right?! I was at a big event last night where the who’s who of Nashville gathered, and it was a real practice to stay present in each conversation. Everyone was talking to each other but really seeing who else was around them, etc. In those situations, it becomes my literal practice to keep my eyes focused on the other person’s eyes, at all cost. Then it makes for actual intimacy. As the night went on, it was easier and easier to see the person in front of me and engage.
Be aware of these questions this week. Maybe even keep a journal at the end of your day when you were most distracted and present. These are also pretty amazing conversation starters with friends.
10000 MINUTES practice:
Practice being present.
Put something in your life to disrupt the natural flow/rhythm of your day, that would remind you to be present WITH Jesus and to walk WITH Him all day long!
Text “10k” to “55678” if you want weekly text reminders to your phone. We’ll be sending out a few encouragements a week to help you practice Jesus all week long!