by Pam Tinsley

“Filled with the loving presence of God, I ask God to bless me and guide my steps as I go to do God’s work in my daily life,”^[1] are words I pray each morning. The prayer reminds me that all I do or say is to be for God’s glory, not for mine. It also reminds me of my vocation – to seek and serve God in daily life and not only when I am engaged in parish ministry.

I’m always mindful that baptism is the foundation of all ministry, that is, that all ministry begins in baptism rather than ordination. While at a retreat where we explored Ikigai – looking at actions/roles objectively and then engaging them with our feelings or hearts, similar to the Ignatian Examen – we were invited to reflect on where we find God in the small things.

While my prayer life and leading worship are certainly cornerstones of my priestly vocation, the role I felt drawn to share with my small group was from my ministry in daily life: about how I savor each moment I spend with my two young grandchildren. I love to watch how God is shaping our five-year-old granddaughter, as we read stories from her children’s Bible, talk about Jesus’ profound love for her and for all of the world, or offer thanks to God before a meal or bedtime. Likewise, I cherish how she listens to hymns and praise music and sings along. And then her baby brother begins to dance to our singing!

It’s a gift to be able to help nurture our grandchildren’s faith during these tender years, helping them learn the values of God’s Kingdom, which we embrace at baptism. Together we experience wonder and awe not only at big moments of God, but also when we experience God in little things, such as seeing a bald eagle soaring overhead or stopping to offer a granola bar to a homeless person at an intersection. As we pray on the second Sunday of Easter, may we show forth in our lives what we profess in our faith in all that we do – with God’s help.

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^[1] From sacredspace.com