[Finding God in All Things] Day 30 – The Evidence of Being “Alive”

Farmer of Hearts - Finding God in All Things

Yesterday we talked about the importance of "living in the present moment" which is the prerequisite for us to find God in all things. Although God is not bound by time and space, we cannot live outside of the "here and now". Therefore, the only time we can truly "find God" and "encounter God" is in "this moment"! This concept is important for Christians who want to "live in the present moment" and a reminder that we must keep in mind if we want to find God in all things!

If you enjoy taking pictures, you may have had the following experience. When you were reviewing some photos taken during your travels, you were surprised to find that you were at a certain tourist attraction, but you have no recollection of it! This discovery can be quite startling! "Did I really visit this place?" "I am in the photo, but how could I not remember being there?" Sounds familiar? We may find excuses for ourselves, saying that our memory is really poor. But it could be because in our efforts to capture beautiful memories through taking pictures, our so-called "memories" end up only existing in the photos, rather than in our minds and emotional experiences.

We often get carried away and are preoccupied with planning for the future, such as in the example above, where we hope to leave behind beautiful memories for the future. Ironically, the busy modern lifestyle leaves us with very few opportunities to reminisce about the good times of the past. Even if we have such opportunities, our memories of the good times would be very vague, or even non-existent, because we were "physically present but mentally absent" at the time of taking photos or for other reasons.

The purpose of photos is to help us remember and relive the good times of the past, but for those times that left no memories, the photos lose much of their value. The result is that we only have "records" but no "memories". If the entire experience is devoid of experience or content, what good memories are there to relive? Such photographic records are not very helpful to us because they not only fail to bring back good memories but also deprive us of the precious experience of enjoying the good times then and there, an experience that cannot be replicated. If our goal is to capture some beautiful photos, aren't there plenty of more beautiful photos on the internet?

There are many examples of this in life. The most concerning area is not the relationship between people and events or places, but between people themselves. In the relationship between people, the most important "recording" is not the pictures, but the interaction between people at the moment, the eye contact, spiritual dialogue, and heart to heart connection. These opportunities for physical interaction between people are often irreplaceable, and cannot be replaced by any new technology or artificial intelligence. What is needed is not external help, but our full commitment "with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind". Jesus is waiting for us, to get to know and meet us. But when we are not "living in the present moment", we cannot listen attentively, and it is even harder for us to sincerely care for the person we are attending to, making it difficult for us to find God in others, let alone serve Jesus in the least of our brothers! (Ref. Matthew 25)

A person can only be considered truly "alive" when they are both “physically and mentally present", consciously living according to the intention with which God created us, rather than merely existing as a body without a soul. As long as we are still breathing, we should strive to live in the "here and now", to be a real person, serving Jesus in the present moment, thereby also accumulating meaningful memories for ourselves.

So, whether we are focusing on photos that are of little use, or temptations that can distract us from the present moment, we must make a resolute decision to let it go. When we live to this day and find ourselves with an amazing photo library and various unnecessary or even excessive accumulations, but because we do not live well in the present, we find our "relationship bank account" with God and others empty. How regrettable it is!

This example illustrates how terrible it is not to "live in the present moment" because such a life is like we have never lived at all! Life merely hovers between the "past" and the "future", but does not linger in the "now", nor does it "save up" in the present moment! This is also the pitiful state of us who primarily live our lives through our "minds" and "work". Do we really want to waste our lives like this? On the contrary, our "hearts" instill in us a desire to experience what the “present moment” holds for us, so that as we face the person, the situation, and the environment before us, we are willing to be fully engaged, and to offer up completely this “present moment” of ours. What is more beautiful than to become fully human by living with our hearts, which is also how God wants us to find Him in our lives?

Reflection

Have you ever made mistakes similar to the one mentioned in the meditation? Now I invite you to carefully examine the impact these habits have on you.

When you interact with others, are you able to be fully present and fully engaged in the conversation with the person in front of you?

Have you ever missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because you were distracted or not being fully present?

Today’s Prayer

Dear God, in today's reflection, I've discovered I have many bad habits, which have caused me to often fail to "live in the present moment", thus missing out on numerous opportunities to communicate with others, care for them, and find and serve You among others.

In fact, I know that even in my interactions with You, I often find myself distracted, being physically present but mentally absent, failing to engage and converse with You with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind. I am sure I have missed many messages You intended for me.

Please help me not to constantly focus only on my own concerns, and teach me to be like You, to be present and attentive to the people I love, and willing to sacrifice myself for those I love.

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The following is the “Farmer of Hearts: Finding God in All Things” team, including FLL staff and volunteers. Please kindly pray for them. May God protect them and sustain their physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

Project Manager: Michael Lam
Writer: Paul Yeung
Editors: Bonny Chan, Rosa Tse
English Editors: Bonny Chan, Paul Yeung
Mandarin Editor: Anthony X.
Cantonese Narrator: Margaret Woo
English Narrator: Bonny Chan
Mandarin Narrator: Teresa Ma
Audio Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Margaret Woo
YouTube Editors: Fonte Ip, Sander Lee, Arnold Chan
Graphics: Francis Lai, Rosa Tse
Website: Patricia Young, Angela Wong
Podcast: Angela Wong
Social Media: Yollie Leung, Carmen Tsang, Rosa Tse
Theme Music:
“Friends Only” by Introvert Pianist https://www.youtube.com/@introvertpianist
“Watercolor Lilies” by Aaron Kenny https://youtube.com/@contactkennya

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