March 10 — God’s Presence in All
The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God. John of Damascus
Gregg’s Reflection
In my own journey, the awakening to God’s presence in all things came slowly. Early on, I still thought of God as distant — a Being who occasionally intervened if I prayed hard enough. But over time, moments of unexpected clarity began to break through: standing in the woods, feeling a deep connection with the trees; watching the sunrise spill across a mountain ridge; or seeing the spark of joy in someone’s eyes as they spoke of God’s work in their life. These moments felt like reminders that the divine was not “out there” somewhere, but intimately present in and through all creation.
One such awakening came when I realized that my call to equip next generation leaders was not just about teaching skills or offering guidance. It was about recognizing Christ already at work in them, and affirming that presence. The transformation didn’t come from me — it came from the Spirit, and my role was simply to point to it and nurture it. This shift from “doing for” to “being with” changed the way I approached ministry and deepened my awareness that God’s presence permeates every relationship.
When you start to live with this awareness, the world changes. The boundaries between sacred and secular begin to dissolve, and even the most ordinary moments can carry holy significance. God is not confined to church walls or quiet devotional times — He is present in the crowded street corner, the family dinner, the mundane commute, the unexpected conversation. The invitation is to open our eyes and hearts so that, like the saints and mystics before us, we might see Christ in all.
Scripture
In him we live and move and have our being.
Acts 17:28
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.
Psalm 24:1
Ancient Quotes
He who is not brightened by such splendor of created things is blind; he who does not awaken at such outcry is deaf.
Bonaventure, Itinerarium Mentis in Deum, I.14
The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God.
John of Damascus, On the Divine Images, I.20
Modern Quotes
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness.
Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, p. 140
The Christ we find in ourselves is the same Christ we encounter in others — not a different one.
Richard Rohr, The Universal Christ, p. 115
Journaling Prompts
- When have you been unexpectedly aware of God’s presence in an ordinary moment?
- How might you practice seeing Christ in every person you meet this week?
- What boundaries between sacred and secular might God be inviting you to let go of?
- Where do you sense God is most active in your relationships right now?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 10 Reflection: Divine Indwelling