How Do We Glorify God in Our Daily Lives?
How do we glorify God in our daily lives?
The Bible offers plenty of examples to help us give God honor and glory in our everyday moments. Today, we’ll unpack a few of these insights as we aim to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God.
I invite you to join me in the woods, and we’ll take a closer look at honoring God in even our most ordinary moments.
How Do We Glorify God in Our Daily Lives?
I’m on my knees with my camera lens inches from a dwarf ginseng. As I watch its tiny snowflake head bob in the breeze, I suddenly realize we’re not alone.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” an elderly gentleman asks.
“Sure is,” I answer, somewhat embarrassed by the black dirt on my knees and elbows.
“Did you see the trout lilies?” he asks, and I notice the camera strapped over his neck. I’m less embarrassed.
We talk for a few minutes about trillium and bluebells, and he finally meanders off along the path. Returning to the ginseng, I remember the way I once looked at thirty-somethings with cameras and wildflower books.
In my twenties, I kept track of miles logged and elevations reached, not dwarf flora like violets and ginseng. I lived for big moments, summit moments. The thought of bending low to relish life’s small moments seemed like a waste of time.
I reflect on this as we walk farther down the trail. The kids sprint ahead in search of toads, and I consider the change of seasons and reflect on where I’ve been.
How Do We Glorify God in Our Daily Lives?
I remember the day I started taking pictures of tiny mushrooms and sphagnum moss.
Life changed at that moment. Something shifted. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t in a hurry. I had no desire to prove anything to anyone, including myself.
I consider this shift as we continue down the trail.
What if we could all live like we have nothing to prove?
Perhaps we’d find the freedom to slow down and give thanks for the small and hidden moments of our lives. Perhaps this slower way of living is a secret for giving God glory in our daily lives.
Maybe there really are no small moments. Maybe there are only hidden moments that are wrapped in wonder, just waiting to be unveiled and embraced.
I ponder it while the kids build castles along the sandy creek, and I’m sure of it: These quiet moments of walking with children in the woods, baking cornbread, folding tiny T-shirts, and wiping down dusty furniture are the moments that will make up the bulk of our lives.
Every now and then, perhaps we should all pause to ask whether we’re enjoying these hidden moments.
The hidden moments might feel small, but they’re the ones that comprise the essence of our lives. Perhaps learning to embrace these moments is a secret for glorifying God.
As I sit along the water, I begin considering additional ways to give God glory.
1. We glorify God when we live thankfully.
Sitting along the water, I commit to living with more gratitude.
I commit to recognizing the gifts that surround me and magnifying God by naming them: dwarf ginseng, blue phlox, garlic mustard, and wild geranium.
Some of us are so busy chasing our big dreams that we’ve forgotten how to give thanks for soap suds in the kitchen sink, the warmth of clean laundry on our laps, and smiles from the children in our lives. Imagine the shift we might see if we decided to keep track of the gifts.
2. We glorify God by speaking life.
Speaking life is more than just encouraging others. It’s encouraging ourselves.
I tend to fall into a horrible trap of feeling sorry for myself in life’s small and hidden moments. This often happens when the hidden moment requires me to work. On my hands and knees cleaning up the third bowl of spilled cereal of the evening, it’s easy to grumble.
However, I’m learning not to grumble in these moments. Instead, I think of a friend who lost her child in a tragic accident, and I remember her words: “I’d give anything for one more day of cleaning up her messes.”
How do we glorify God in our daily lives? The words we speak to others matter greatly. Equally important, the words we speak to ourselves can change the trajectory of our lives.
The words we speak to others matter greatly. Equally important, the words we speak to ourselves can change the trajectory of our lives. #speaklife #gratitude #thankfulness Click To Tweet3. We honor the Lord by living intentionally.
As I sit in the morning sunshine along the quiet waters, I decide to live intentionally. I decide to shift away from autopilot and aim to “be all there” in the middle of my actual life.
I role-play with the kids the whole way home from the creek. Life slows.
At home, we turn off the TV and play with toys on the living room floor.
When the sun sinks low that evening, Bekah and I put together a pocket guide of wildflowers from our walk. We find Latin names and study the history of each plant. It all feels a bit small, but when she looks at me with dancing blue eyes, filled wild with life and passion, I know for sure that none of this day was small at all.
A Free Devotional to Help You Live for God’s Glory:
Does the idea of slipping away to a beautiful place to recharge and refresh sound inviting? Space for Your Soul to Stretch is your invitation to create space to rest in God’s presence. Each day of this eight-day devotional invites you to encounter God’s created world and spend time in his written Word. You will walk away from this journey replenished and refreshed each day. It is my free gift to you here.
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How do we glorify God in our daily lives?
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