slow down: uncensored musings

As some of you may know, I keep a lot of personal reflections, inspirations and conversations with God in my phone. Normally, by the time I do get down to blogging about them, I'll have edited them somewhat. But it seems somewhat appropriate that I post this one the way I wrote it, unpolished it may be:

To experience God in the simple deeds throughout the day. Start simple. How can we appreciate God in the complex if we can't even see his presence in the simple? If we can't appreciate him in the silence, how can we appreciate him as we speak? Slow down and appreciate God! Don't be in such a hurry to live life.

How can the things humans create match the beauty of God's creation? We think of what colours match what colours; the flowers don't, yet their beauty is infinitely more than whatever we could hope to achieve. We try to design sleek, graceful yet powerful cars for stylish transport; yet this pales by far in comparison to the grace of a cheetah in full flight. Ungainly, ugly aeroplanes attempt to compete with the magnificence of a soaring eagle. The rest of God's creation lives life the way he designed it to be and look: therein lies true beauty. We think and plan and design; we compartmentalize and scrutinize and analyze -- But our creations simply cannot embody the brilliance of the Creator.

It's not about thanking God for the meal but about knowing and rejoicing in his presence even as we partake in the meal. It's not about thanking God for the friends and people that he has put in our life but about seeing the true beauty in people, seeing God in his people. Enjoying God in the evening breeze as you walk home, embracing him in the laughter of your friends, embodying his patience and devotion in your studies, personifying his love and mercy through acts of service and charity.

I don't want to remind myself constantly to pray. I don't want to keep asking and asking for things when I pray. I don't want to have a need to constantly talk as a form of communication with God. I just want to constantly be in tune. Even in the silence, in the quiet, just being aware of your presence... In our prayers, in the way we approach our spiritual life, we too can be Marthas at times. Don't pray thoughts; don't pray words even. Instead, pray God.