“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

In the Bible, Isaiah tells us that God will be with us, and we live in that reality through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The world, however, offers us a thousand distractions from God’s reality. [See last month’s reflection on the noise of busy-ness.] I want to encourage you to enter God’s presence, so you can move from the world’s noise into God’s reality.

            For me, God’s grace in the simple moments of life is my reminder of His presence and reality. The other day, Jessica scheduled us for a trip to the splash pad. Lynn, our oldest, enjoys playing in the water. Although, God help you if the water splashes her face. After an hour or so in the water, Lynn informed us, “It’s playground time.”

            But, on our way, Lynn’s Belle doll was lost. It fell from the stroller, and may as well have disappeared into the ether. A dozen other children ran around the park, and the doll’s brown hair would blend nicely into the dirt. Still, Lynn would soon look for the only doll on this adventure.

            With Lynn distracted on the slides, Jessica volunteered to watch Ruth, our youngest. So, I began the hunt for Belle.

            I retraced our steps through the grass. Several kids cut across my path, but I didn’t see the doll in their hands. Another mother asked about my search and told me about a family with a daughter’s recent departure. I completed three passes of our trail with no success.

            Every child’s hand got a once-over, and there’s still no sight of the doll. Rehearsal began for the conversation with Lynn. I would, of course, apologize for my failure before an invitation to look with Lynn. Still, the disappointment would be real.

            Then, my thoughts recalled Matthew 7:7, “Seek, and you will find.” The noise of squealing children faded from my ears, and my feet settled into the dirt. Even, the impending questions from Lynn disappeared with the Bible verse.

I shuffled my feet through the spots of grass. A rock received a soft kick. No, not a rock – there with brown hair covering her bright yellow dress is the Belle doll. I dust off the found toy and carry it back to Jessica’s bench with no less enthusiasm than any member of the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

            Now, I could be mistaken, if so, tell me about it in the comments. But, that’s a moment of God’s presence in my life. You see: I started the hunt for Belle with total reliance upon my own efforts. I had to find the doll; I knew it must lie upon a certain path, and I would be able to find it. God had no room in that moment, so there’s no room for His peace.

            Then, I got busy. My steps quickened; all possibilities were considered, and the search for someone [i.e., the other kids finding it] else to blame began. Even, the assurance of Lynn’s disappointment appeared. God could not break through that noise either – too crowded. As a result, I started to embrace my failure: I couldn’t do this.

            Finally, God snuck into the moment. With a recalled Bible verse, God’s grace enters the picture through His provision of peace. This peace is not one that lacks conflict. There was plenty of noise along the way. Instead, God’s peace brings a trust in God’s control over the outcome. God’s peace draws me into His presence that settles my mind, so I can complete my steps on His path. In other words, God’s graceful actions calls us into His presence, and we can live in His reality as a result.

            Now, if God can use the hunt for a doll as a reminder of His presence, how many other moments does God use as a call into His presence? Yet, I miss them because I am too caught up in my own plans to see?

            I’ll leave that there because another story comes to mind. But, you can leave a comment, if you’d like to answer the question. In this month’s story, Lydia and Clyde experience grocery shopping with a small child. If ever there was a noisy moment in life, it is surely that of a tired toddler in the grocery store. So, how does God’s peace break through this moment?

Coming Soon: August’s Story