“Take your everyday, ordinary life–your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking-around life–and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12: 1-2, The Message

The first part of these verses reminds me that my life is an offering to God and if I get in the daily mindset of surrendering my day and my life to Him, I will be more mindful of His presence being with me, and I am better able to handle all the things that come my way.

It’s also a reminder that I was made for God (He wasn’t made for me), to bring Him glory, and He desires to make Himself known through me in every small and “ordinary” action as expressions of worship throughout my day; simple things like being gracious to those I meet, offering to pray for a hurting friend, taking a moment to help a stranger in need, making dinner for my husband, which is an act of service. All of these actions, and more, offered up to God and walked out with a right attitude, bring Him glory.

I encourage you each morning to begin offering your day–“your ordinary  life”– up to God and see how He is present in it and transforms it into something even better than you expected. Try your best to be present in each moment and to look for Him there.