Ping It

The following meditation is an excerpt from my new book:

 
 
 
 

The older I get, the more I find myself searching for things.

“Where did I put that jacket?”

“Why aren’t my keys in my purse?”

And the most common: “What happened to my phone?”

I now have a solution! My watch, which is almost always on my wrist, connects to my phone. When I misplace my phone, I just tap the “phone” icon on my watch. Then, “PING-PING-PING!” I can hear my phone in another room, under the couch cushion, or sitting in plain sight, though somehow elusive to me, on the kitchen counter.

Another brilliant invention is the trackable tag you can attach to your valuables, like purses, keys, or backpacks. When used for its intended purpose, this little device can help you track down lost bags and luggage. It makes the search for your valuables much easier.

In this season of Lent, we are searching for something or someone more valuable than our luggage or phones. We’re searching for Jesus.

He often seems elusive. We can’t see him, so we wonder if he’s really there. Or we believe he’s there but is out of reach. We want and need his presence but just can’t tap into it. If only we could “PING” him with the touch of a button.

Yet, he promised he’s always with us. In Matthew 28:20, after telling his disciples to go and make more disciples out of all the nations, he gave them these reassuring words: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” As followers of Jesus, we can claim that promise as well.

We just need reminders to reach out to him. And they are all around us. When I see, hear, smell, taste, and feel the ordinary things he’s blessed me with, a picture or metaphor might come to mind. These reminders of his presence, along with faith in his promises, help me to meet Jesus right where I am.

Over the coming weeks, as we take notice of these reminders together, we will find him. We’ll see him around the house and in nature. We’ll catch glimpses of him when we’re out and about, and even in the foundational infrastructure of our environment, which we often ignore. Jesus will be present in the people that surround us and in our final walk to the cross during Holy Week.

There have been times when I’ve searched everywhere for my phone, only to realize I’m holding it to my ear and talking into it! I laugh at my distractibility and forgetfulness, and that I missed it when it was so obvious.

The next time we feel we just can’t find Jesus, remember how easy it is to miss the obvious. He’s present and all around us. He speaks to us through life’s most extraordinary circumstances.

He also shows up daily in the most ordinary ways.

🔎 Take notice

Choose an ordinary object you often misplace (i.e. keys, phone, headphones). Whenever you pick it up today, let it remind you of Jesus’ unseen presence.

🙏 Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for never being lost to me. Give me the assurance that you are always here, right beside me. Amen.


Does Jesus’ presence elude you?

Have you given up something for Lent in the past (e.g. chocolate, coffee, TV), but still struggled to make a meaningful connection with Jesus?

This collection of 40 Lenten meditations was written to bring you closer to Jesus through the “little things” in your ordinary life.

Be sure to order your copy of Lent through the Little Things! Available now on Amazon.com.

FaithLinda HanstraLent, Lent through the Little Things, Latest Post4 Comments