Our Ebenezer Wall.

Writing last night's post made me think about a conversation my husband and I have been having a lot lately. We live in a smallish college town. As a result we live in an area filled with flux. Most of the people here won't be here for long. Our town is just a stop in their journey to some where else. A step towards their "real" life.

We all have those places in our lives either physically (college) or simply a stage in life (parent to a toddler) that can make it easy to feel like we are simply in a holding pattern. We are putting in our time till we get get onto what we are going to do with the rest of our lives.

This is the excuse we so often give for not dealing with things NOW (i.e. why we don't brush the tangles out nightly).

I'll get involved in ministry when I finished my bachelor's (master's, doctorate).

I'll get back into the habit of having a daily quite time when my baby sleeps through the night.

We'll save for the future once we pay off a few more bills.

We'll give to church once we have a little more in savings.

I'll write that letter to my grandma once my desk is cleared off.

It is so easy to find reasons to slip into a holding pattern. As a young mother I am often told that "this is just as season." A true phrase that can bring much comfort but can also be twisted into an excuse not to live the life God has called me to.

A year or two ago Josh (my husband) and I were visiting my dad's church in Maryland. My dad gave a great sermon on Jacob wrestling with the angel. The refrain my dad kept sharing over and over was "God was there, and Jacob didn't know it" or "God was here and I almost missed it". He challenged the congregation to be aware to remember that God is in the small, every day, random moments. He challenged us not to miss that.

The phrase "God is here" has become an "Ebenezer phrases" in our house. Along with "grace and manna" and a few others it is a phrase the reminds us something. In this case reminds us to be present. To deal with what God has put in front of us that day. To engage. To live our life now. And not wait for tomorrow.

To volunteer for a service project even if the calendar may feel a little bit full.
To give when our hearts lead us, even in our minds say the bank account is to empty. 
To have the couple from church over, even if the house is a mess and the meal is simple.
To write has been laid on my heart, even if the topic seems to complicated.

God is there. In every circumstance in our lives. The question is... are we?