Chapter 2: Meeting God in the Moment
CHOOSING PRESENCE PP. 16-18
Comprehend the ways God teaches us through our experiences and guides us towards spiritual awareness.
Summary
This part of the book looks at how challenges and hardships can actually bring you closer to God. It highlights Jesus’s teachings as a source of strength and reassurance, reminding you that you don’t have to face struggles alone. By leaning on God’s presence within you, you can find the guidance and peace needed to navigate life’s difficulties.
When we truly want to stop our inner fears and conflicts and change how we feel inside, we have to realize we cannot do it alone. The courage to face our inner conflicts lies in our vibrant inner life, in God’s Spirit within us. That is our power source.
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— Choosing Presence, p. 17
A Moment for Reflection
Pause for a moment and reflect on the following three questions:
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Think about a difficult time you’ve faced. Did it push you closer to God, or did it create distance? How might viewing challenges as opportunities for spiritual growth change your perspective?
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Reflect on your typical response to stress. What might it look like to rely more on God’s wisdom and peace in those moments?
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Consider a challenge you’re facing right now. If you approached it as an opportunity for growth, rather than just a hardship, how might that shift your experience?
Deepening the Practice: Journal Prompt
Life’s struggles often feel overwhelming, but Choosing Presence reminds us that challenges can be opportunities to deepen our relationship with God. Instead of seeing hardships as obstacles, we can begin to view them as lessons—moments where God is guiding us toward greater awareness, trust, and inner peace. Jesus’s teachings offer comfort, showing us that we are never alone in our struggles. When we become present to God’s Spirit within, we open ourselves to learning and transformation, even in difficult times.
Think about a recent challenge or struggle in your life. How did you respond—did you turn inward, seek control, or lean into faith? If you were to see this experience as a lesson rather than just a hardship, what might God be teaching you? How could embracing presence in this situation bring more peace and clarity?