Meeting Jesus in the Ordinary

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” -Colossians 3:17

“The question is never whether God is present, the question rather is whether the soul is.” 

When you long for something so deeply, it is easy to become distracted. I said in a recent post that I can’t wait for the day I could concentrate fully on life again, when part of my brain is no longer distracted by the wait. 

But recently, I went down a rabbit hole of abandonment, waiting, and surrender. And somewhere along the way, I realized that maybe I’ve been approaching ordinary life a little wrong. 

The question isn’t whether God is present. It’s whether my soul is present. 

The ordinary, when received with full presence, is not ordinary at all. 

It’s easy to see that in some moments. Hearing my nephew giggle. Coffee dates with my mom and nephew. A surprise Sunday morning visit from my older brother, his wife, and their children. The huge hug from my nephew Mavie, who seems to have finally moved past stranger danger with me and now knows I’m “Aunt Care”. 

Those moments are easy to be present for. In a way, they don’t feel ordinary. They’re family. They’re special. 

But what about the emails? The 40th hour of teaching during the week? Laundry day? The really ordinary moments everyone chalks up to “adulting”?

Those are the moments when it’s so easy to check the phone, wonder when, and start to feel anxious. 

So, after my deep dive, I’ve decided that these are the moments when I want to start opening my hands instead of checking my phone. Calling on the Holy Spirit to quiet my mind instead of allowing myself to be in two places at once. 

Jesus is present in those moments, too. Sometimes, we just have to learn to recognize Him there.

I think of St. Joseph in his workshop. Mother Mary tending to the ordinary needs of her home. St. Peter out on his fishing boat. These are the moments when we can miss the presence of God because we’re looking for something bigger, something more important, something that feels more obviously holy.  

But the goal isn’t to find a holier task. It’s to bring holiness into the task already in front of us.

Jean-Pierre de Caussade wrote:

“The present is ever filled with infinite treasure, it contains more than you have the capacity to hold.”

Perhaps it is within these ordinary moments that the Lord is helping me learn to surrender next.

Because one day, these moments might look like changing the billionth dirty diaper of the day, washing bottles, doing another load of baby laundry, or getting through a sleepless night. 

And I want to learn how to meet Jesus there, too. Not because those moments will always be easy or because I’ll never feel exhausted or frustrated, but because I want to recognize His presence even when life feels repetitive, messy, and tiring. 

I want to learn to find joy in the middle of the ordinary, even when the ordinary looks different from what I imagined. 

So yes, we are beyond ready for our big moment. The moment when we finally get to hold our child in our arms and see this particular chapter of our story unfold. 

But until that moment comes, I don’t want to miss the life happening around me. 

I don’t want to spend so much time wondering when my life will change that I forget to live the life God has given me today.

For now, my next task is to find Jesus in the to-do lists, the laundry, the emails, and the hours spent teaching. To open my hands when I want to reach for my phone. To ask the Holy Spirit to quiet my mind and help me return to the moment in front of me. 

I am still waiting. I still long for that day. 

But Jesus is here, too.

And I want to learn to be here with Him.

Sometimes, I see Him in the ordinary. But on the days when the longing returns, it’s harder to be present. It’s harder to notice Him in the little things when part of my heart is still wondering when. 

So, that’s my next task. Not to stop longing, but to learn to be present in the middle of it. To find Jesus in the ordinary, even on the days when it doesn’t come easily.