God is here, right here, right now. God is with me as I write these words; God is with you as you read them. That is the truth of the gospel. The question is whether we can respond to the Beloved’s presence in like manner. In this present moment, can we joyfully answer, “Here I am”? All too often, we are occupied elsewhere—likely doing “good” things, but not paying attention to the Divine Presence, within and without, that sustains us day by day.

If that is where we find ourselves, maybe it is time for us to think about using a daily examination of consciousness—that is, taking time at the end of the day to remember, take notice of, think about, reflect on times in the past day in which we can see the hand of God at work in our lives. At first, none may immediately come to mind, but as we continue to look back on all that has occurred, our eyes will be opened to recognize the Divine Presence in all kinds of new ways. God often uses creation to get our attention—sunrise and sunset, the bird song at dawn, the first crocus piercing through the snow in northern climes, waves pounding or rippling gently on the strand, the wind from a slight waft of breeze touching our cheek to the destruction caused by tornadoes and hurricanes, and on and on. Sometimes it may be music or art or even what is going on in our bodies that enable us to be aware of the Divine. God also brings people into our milieu—those we find easy to love and those who drive us mad—to open our hearts to the acceptance of “what is” in the events, circumstances, and situations of our lives. Everything Belongs as Richard Rohr puts it in his book of that title; absolutely everything may carry the fingerprint of God if we but pay attention.

As we become more aware of reality, conscious of God’s presence in the here and now, we will find ourselves delighted to acknowledge that experience with “Here I am!” throughout the moments of our days.