“Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Growing up, I had a friend teach me about “God-Moments.” He said, “God-Moments are those times in your life when you can unexpectedly see God’s presence. These are the moments when God comes to you.” Within the past couple weeks my family welcomed the first grandchild, my niece.
The celebration of my niece’s birth is one of the greatest God-Moments I have experienced in my life. Despite my awareness of her arrival date, the impact her life has had on mine has been immeasurable and completely unexpected. The love I have for this little girl is unimaginable. Each time I see her and hold her, I can feel God holding me.
At times, my prayer is clouded by my desire to see God’s work in my life on my time. Like St. Augustine, who speaks about his struggle to understand God’s concept of time in his Confessions, I too struggle and will occasionally forget God. Simply, my time does not equal God’s time. However, reflecting on the God-Moments in my life prepares my heart once again to be ready for the Lord to come. Seeing my niece giggle and smile reminds my heart to be open to receive God wholeheartedly.
—Lisa M. Sroka coordinates retreats and designs marketing materials for Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL. She is a Chicago vocalist and alum of Loyola University Chicago