When we talk about faith, we often picture big moments. Baptisms. Weddings. Worship services. Mountain top experiences. But most of life isn’t lived on a stage or in the middle of something dramatic. Most of life is washing dishes, commuting to work, answering emails, talking with friends, or sitting in traffic. And if God is only found in the “big” moments, that leaves most of our days feeling spiritually empty.
The truth is, God is not distant from ordinary life. In fact, ordinary life is where He most often meets us. The Bible doesn’t tell us to escape daily life to find God. It tells us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all things. It tells us to let our minds dwell on what is true and good. Philippians 4:4–9 is a perfect picture of this. Paul writes about joy, gentleness, prayer, and peace, not as something that happens in a holy temple, but as something that shapes daily life.
Take something as small as washing the dishes. For most of us, it’s one of those chores we just want to get over with. But what if you saw it as a time to pray? You don’t need special words. You can simply thank God for the meal you just had, for the people who shared it with you, or for the fact that you have food and plates at all.
Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century monk, wrote about this in The Practice of the Presence of God. He worked in a monastery kitchen, scrubbing pots and preparing meals. At first, he hated it. But over time, he came to see those moments as chances to speak with God. He said that even while turning an omelet in the pan, he could experience God’s presence as much as when he was kneeling in prayer.
That’s not because dishwashing is holy in itself. It’s because God is present, and when we pay attention, even the smallest tasks become a way of meeting Him.
Or think about the time you spend commuting. Maybe you’re in a car, a train, or a bus. Usually, that time feels wasted. But it doesn’t have to be. What if that half hour became a time of worship? You could listen to Scripture, pray for the day ahead, or simply sit in silence and remember that God goes with you.
Even a frustrating commute can be a chance to practice patience. Philippians 4 talks about letting your gentleness be known to all. Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic can be a real test of that. But what if you used it as a way to practice gentleness instead of anger? That doesn’t make the traffic disappear, but it changes how you carry yourself in it.
God also shows up in the people we speak to. Not just at church, but in conversations at work, in the supermarket, or over a cup of coffee with a friend. Each person carries God’s image, and each conversation can be a place where His grace comes through.
You might not quote Scripture every time you talk. But you can listen well, be slow to anger, show kindness, and speak words that give life instead of tearing down. Paul’s advice in Philippians 4—think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, and lovely—can guide not just your thoughts but also your words.
The hard part is that ordinary moments slip past us. We don’t notice them. We rush, complain, or drift into distraction. Brother Lawrence said the secret was simply remembering. He trained his heart to come back to God again and again, whether in the middle of prayer or while peeling vegetables.
That’s a practice we can take into our own lives. You won’t get it right all the time. Some days you’ll forget. Some days you’ll be too tired to care. But every time you remember, you have another chance to turn your thoughts toward God.
This isn’t about forcing every task into a “holy” moment. It’s about awareness. It’s about trusting that God is already present, and that you can join Him there, even in the mundane.
Paul ends that passage in Philippians with a promise. If we bring our lives to God in prayer, with thanksgiving, His peace will guard our hearts and minds. Notice how practical that is. He doesn’t say the peace of God will float in during worship only. He says it will guard us, like a shield, in the middle of life.
That kind of peace isn’t found by escaping the ordinary. It’s found by living through the ordinary with God’s presence. Washing the dishes, sitting in traffic, chatting with a neighbour, making dinner—these are not wasted moments. They are the ground where faith grows.
The challenge is not to make your life extraordinary, but to find the extraordinary presence of God in the life you already have.
