In the Details

God lives in the details. 

We expect wondrous miracles and grand love stories. The curing of cancer or the surviving of a car wreck or love at first sight. We want something big and flashy that we can point to and say "God did that!"  We are looking for proof, verification of our faith. But God doesn't live there in the big and flashy, God lives in the details. 

My best friend died of cancer, but before she did, she sat beside me on the couch and rested her head on my shoulder. God lives there. 

A child, overwrought and overwhelmed laughs when I comb out her hair and play with her curls. God lives there. 

I held my father's hand and told him it was okay for him to die. God lives there. 

If you need proof that God exists, look at the minutiae. Lady bugs and lightning bugs. Rainbows. Feathers. Seashells. Look at dimples and the sparkle in an eye. Listen to a lullaby, the peepers in the pond, the sound of a bird. 

The night sky spreads out above us, inky blackness, glistening with stars. God lives there. 

We are surrounded by miracles. A spider web covered with dew. A butterfly drying it's new wings. A flower opening it's petals to the sun. 

God lives in raindrops and dew drops, sunrises and sunset, winter snow and spring flowers. God lives in the brightly coloured leaves drifting down from the trees. God lives in the sound of those leaves crunching under feet. 

An infant laughs in delight. A family eats dinner together. A friend calls to check in.  A mother rocks her child. A man forgives his lover. A friend offers comfort. God lives there. 

God lives in the caress of a cheek, a tender kiss, a softly spoken work. God lives in arms that offer comfort and words that offer hope. God lives in pep talks and well wishes. God lives in the smile of a stranger.

Forgiveness, kindness, compassion, truth. God lives there. Love lives there. They are one and the same.