4 Rhythms to Help You See Jesus

The small moments of our lives are just as important as the large, life-changing moments. We look at them with a different perspective and they leave a different taste in our mouths, but they are no less significant.

The daily walk with the dog, the conversation with your neighbor, the laundry and dirty dishes are all examples of small moments we might casually overlook in our rush toward the bigger ones.

As my belly continues to expand with the growth of our baby boy, my eyes are more and more focused on March 2020, than they are on October 11, 2019. But simply because my eyes aren’t looking for Him in this moment of today does not mean Jesus is not there, waiting for me to notice Him.

The disciples are a good example of this. They watched as Jesus fed the multitude of 5,000 who followed His miracles and recognized who He was, and they boarded a boat headed for Capernaum while they waited for Jesus to join them.

But as they waited, the wind rose and the water churned, striking fear in their hearts and panic in their minds.

In the middle of the Sea of Galilee and the storm that came unexpectedly upon them, “they saw Jesus walking on the sea.”

As panic rose within them and they continued to row their boat through the wild waters, Jesus had begun to move toward them.

They looked away from the ordinary, the frightening moment to see an extraordinary, impossible sight. I feel certain, in that moment they most likely thought they were hallucinating. Perhaps, they even believed they were dying because what their eyes showed them was something so out of the ordinary, we would all need a minute to believe it.

Our moments are not always like this, big and easily spotted in the course of life. It’s easy to find Jesus when we look up from a death, a diagnosis, or being completely overwhelmed by a new baby, but what about the smaller ones?

How do we look up and find Jesus in these innocuous, unobtrusive, modest moments of life? Here are four ways to see Jesus in the small moments of your days.

1. The Word of God
Our heart and mind need to be centered around God’s word. The foundation of our days begins with God’s word and communing with the Father. Start your day in His word, even if all you have time for is a single verse. I believe His word is powerful and life-giving, and if you only have time to read one verse, it will not be a waste of time. God has an uncanny knack for meeting us exactly where we are and in the most unexpected ways, but we won’t recognize Him if we don’t get acquainted with Him a little bit first.

2. Reflect on His Previous Work
Take a few minutes to quiet your mind and your soul to look through the pages of your life for the footprints of Jesus. They might seem small and faded with age, but I promise they are there. Look for the ways Jesus has met you before and how He met your needs in those moments. Ask yourself some questions about the circumstances of those meetings to discern how He might be meeting you right now. If you find yourself thinking you can’t find anything, go to Him in prayer. Ask Jesus to point to specific moments in your life where you felt His presence and His peace. Ask Him, simply, to help you see Him.

3. Walk
If you’ve read your Bible even a little bit, you might notice a common theme: walking. Nearly every story in the Bible involves someone walking somewhere to do the will of the Lord. Even Jesus walked in His ministry to share the gospel and proclaim the Kingdom of God. Walking, getting up and moving our bodies, I believe, is one way to find Jesus during our day. Unlike us, Jesus didn’t have a tv to sit in front of on a cushioned couch, where we spend hours of our day. Jesus walked. Take a walk today, exercise with a workout, do something to move your body and clear your mind.

4. Serve Others
An often-overlooked way to see our friend Jesus is finding ways to serve others. Our minds don’t naturally jump to serving when we’re trying to see Jesus, but when you sacrifice time to intentionally serve the people around you, Jesus will make Himself known. He walked the earth, teaching and serving. Jesus didn’t spend His time only being served, rather, He looked for ways to model a servant life to us. If you love children, serve in the children’s ministry at your church or for local kids in need. If you have musical talent, be part of bringing the worship experience alive for the other members of the church in the choir or orchestra. If you live with other people, find ways to serve them with no expectation of receiving a thank you. Serve because Jesus served. Find a place where your God-given talents and passion can be used to shine the light of Jesus onto others. I guarantee the moments Jesus reveals Himself while you’re serving may not seem like big picture moments, but they are no less real, no less encouraging, and no less time spent with Jesus.

These are four rhythms that create space for you to see Jesus in your daily life. But remember, rhythms merely create a pathway for us to see God’s hand at work in our lives and make it possible for us to recognize Jesus as we walk through the small moments.

The important part is intentionally walking with Jesus and keeping your heart open to the work of God in your life.