Chopping vegetables is art

I was chopping vegetables at the cutting board and I felt a familiar feeling wash over me. It was the Holy Spirit joining me with His presence. The cutting board has been a frequent place where He has joined me. So today I asked Him, “Why here? Why do you like to join me at the cutting board?”  I heard Him say, “This is a place where you sacrifice, and I love that about you. You are being like me when you sacrifice, and it’s a beautiful thing.”

If I’m being honest, sometimes I reluctantly grocery shop, cook meals, clean the kitchen, and just balk at my responsibilities in general. I am learning that being present in these small moments is more rewarding when I recognize that what I am doing is an act of love. When I recognize that, and let my heart be engaged in the moment, even doing such a seemingly insignificant task like chopping vegetables, I am more aware that I am loving the people in my life well. I can be present and fully enjoy that I am taking care of them.  I can live my life as if it were a work of art.

I was thinking about this word “presence”, and how some people seem to get tripped up on it. If we stop and think about it, do we want to be alone, or do we want a God who is present with us? Presence simply means He is with us. 

So, should we want Him to be with us? I personally do. I would humbly suggest it is either shame or pain at work in your life if you don’t want God to show up. I have loved when I have felt God present with me chopping vegetables, or singing a worship song, taking a walk, or giving my child a bath. When I know that I am not alone in these moments, it brings me so much comfort and connects me to the One who made me.  You can call it “being present” or “slow living” if you want, but I think it’s the most artistic way we can live, and show up for our life. After all, we weren’t meant to be alone.