Sitting on the Front Porch

Last month, I bought my mom an outdoor porch furniture set for mother’s day and her birthday, not only because I thought it would be a nice touch to the front porch, (but also partly because I wanted to be able to utilize the set too!).  I have found the front porch to be a great place to be.  Whether it is to start the day, end the day, or somewhere in-between, it is a place to sit with God.

A front porch is one of the most seemingly ordinary spaces.  Sitting on a front porch when you live in a small village in the midwest can sound quite average.  There are no mountains, no bodies of water, and no other especially scenic views.  But God is there.  We don’t have to be on a retreat, at a conference, or having a mountaintop experience in order to encounter God.
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While it is important to have those experiences that boost our faith and give us a sort of spiritual high, we cannot live in those moments forever.  More often, we will be living our daily lives, going through our ordinary routines.  And it is just as important for us to find God in these moments too.

Whether we realize it or not, I think we all crave simplicity.  We tend to make so many aspects of our lives complicated, including our faith.  When we look at the lives of the saints, we can see that so many of them modeled this spirit and lifestyle.

God speaks to us in so many ways, even in the most ordinary moments of our days.  Seeing a beautiful and breathtaking sunrise or sunset, listening to the sounds of the birds in the morning, sitting with scripture or a good book are all ways that we can experience God while sitting on the front porch.
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We don’t have to go far or do great things in order to recognize God.  He is waiting for us to encounter Him in the most ordinary places and spaces.  This week, find some time to sit on the front porch with God.  He will be there, sitting with you.