Practice The Presence: How? Part 1

As I grew up throughout my childhood I was taught, either by direct or indirect conversation and teaching, that somehow, church buildings housed the presence of God. So imagine, and I’m sure you can imagine, what it was like for me when I saw that the ‘house of God’ was the place where I heard the worst gossip and most hateful things said against people. No it wasn’t ‘preached’ from the pulpit; it was ‘preached’ often by example.

As I grew older, I was then taught that my body was the ‘temple’. Yet again, I looked around and saw others who abused their bodies by so many means. And then there were those who abused other people’s bodies. In my case that was done by a pedophile regularly as part of my transportation to the church.

I was taught that food was wonderful and necessary; and that eating it was good. But I was shown that overeating was normal even though we were also taught that greed and over indulgence was not good. Food became a friend that I could always trust to make me feel good. Even now, when I feel stressed or down I would much rather reach for chocolate than go for a walk. This has become a lifelong habit and difficult to break.

I could go on and on with examples. They aren’t necessary. I don’t want to come across as judging those of any belief or philosophy. As I matured as an adult I realized that God was not exclusive to church buildings. I learned that my body – and other bodies – were human and thus prone to mistakes. I realized that no matter how much we promote love and joy and peace, that as long as it’s done by and with humans, it will always be imperfect.

So why bother? I’ll tell you why. Because it feels good. I’ve learned that how to practice the Presence is NOT exclusive to a certain group, a place or even a person. I learned that how I practice that presence is NOT done in a place. I learned that the Presence was always and everywhere, not just in the ‘temple’ of bricks and mortar, nor in this ‘temple’ of flesh. Nor was it restricted to a certain liturgy or weekly service.

When I look around me, now, I see God. But I see God as something very different to what I saw as a child. I see God in that smelly street person at the corner of Commercial Street and the Old Island Highway. I see God in the towering cedars surrounding and almost protecting my home. I see God in Christmas trees that fill my home (yes I did say treeS). I see God in all things. Why? Because God IS in all things. I may address God as  Spirit, Creator, Allah or my Higher Power. I’m good with whatever title is ascribed to God, because I believe that God is both big enough and small enough that a mere title means nothing.

My Truth: I have come to realize that Practicing the Presence, is the most natural thing we can do. That is because it is really the awareness that God is everywhere. Yes, everywhere. God is in the church, but also the shed out back. God is in the gentle wee lady in the front pew, but also in the gossip in the back pew. God is in the terrible experiences of life as well as the most joyous occasions. God is in my failures (are they really failures?) as well as in my triumphs.

So how do I practice the Presence? I practice with the awareness that God is everywhere. Therefore I can practice everywhere.

Practice The Presence: How? Part 1