Little Sparks

About a year ago, my wife found a journal that she just had to get me (it’s a Star Wars Moleskin). I decided to use it to keep track of the little moments I like to call “Everyday Jesus”. Why “Everyday Jesus”? Well, I’m glad you asked! It’s because I firmly believe that a little bit of spiritual truth can be found in everything we see. The problem is we often do not take the time to notice. In no way am I saying that Jesus is ordinary or uninteresting. In fact, it’s just the opposite. He is extra-ordinary! He chooses to insert Himself into our lives just so He can draw us into a closer relationship. I believe that this is one of the keys to the Christian life. Yes, read your Bible. Yes, pray, tithe, and help the poor. By all means, share the Good News! Do all these things but also build an actual relationship with Jesus. Listen for when Jesus whispers to you during your waking hours. Look for Him in all that you see and wherever you go. Let your mind wander to Him instead of to the latest news headline or work problem. Time spent dwelling on Jesus and his spiritual truths is worth so much more than the paltry things we normally fill our extra time with. Here’s one of the first one’s I wrote back in April of 2014.

                

Not an actual picture of us.

Apparently, I snore. I’ve never actually heard it myself, but first my mom and now my wife all but swear that I do. Even though I may not be entirely convinced, I don’t want any “perceived” problems of mine to disrupt my wife as she sleeps. To this end, I have started using anti-snoring nose strips. Each night, I open this Band-Aid like wrapper and place this extremely sticky and slightly rigid piece of material over the bridge of my nose. While I may or may not need them for snoring, I like how it pulls the nasal passageways open thus allowing me to breathe easier. Therefore, I keep using said strips even though I am not convinced they are actually needed since there is no actual proof that I snore.

              

Let’s learn a new word: triboluminescence. (My spellcheck is going crazy right now.) It’s a big word for a phenomenon that most of us miss entirely. Before I explain, let me tell you how I discovered this fascinating subject. One night I was up, later than Beth, reading; which means I was on my Ipad reading in the dark so she could sleep. After reading way too long, I shut the Ipad down and began my nightly ritual in the dark. As I pulled apart the wrapper, I noticed a faint blue glow coming from the spot where it was separating. I was so fascinated playing with this that I inadvertently woke my wife up (or she was just faking sleep all along). Since she could see it too, I knew that my beautiful, yet dysfunctional, eyes weren’t seeing things. Then I just had to pull my Ipad back out and do some research.

               

"...faint blue glow..."

“Triboluminescence is an optical (something you see) phenomenon (awesome movie starring John Travolta) in which light is generated through the breaking of chemical bonds in a material when it is pulled apart, ripped, scratched, crushed, or rubbed. The phenomenon is not fully understood (I think the writer was just lazy and didn’t want to type ALL that is understood about triboluminescence), but it appears to be caused by the separation and reunification of electrical charges. Triboluminescence can be observes when breaking sugar crystals (especially Wint-O-Green Life Savers) and peeling adhesive tape.”

 So what does this have to do with “Everyday Jesus”? Well, how many times have you questioned where God was? Better yet, how often have you lived your own life, your own way and without following God’s will…as if He wasn’t even there? Regardless of whether we notice or not, God is always there. This is especially true for Christians due to the promise of the Holy Spirit. We can get so wrapped up in the grind of life that we never notice the little “spiritual sparks” happening all around us. The pace we set for our life dictates how much of God we see in it. The busier we keep ourselves, the less we have time for Him. He’s there, quietly calling for you to come visit Him; using little sparks to remind you. Check out what Psalm 139:7-12 says.

So go play with a roll of tape, or crunch some Life Savers, in a dark room and spend some time with the One who is always there.