National Be With God Day

Reposted from 2019

On July 17, you should have eaten a Hot Dog while getting a Tattoo. You should have done this because that day was both National Hot Dog Day and National Tattoo Day.

Recently, I was trying to explain Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Bastille Day to one of our daughters. As I haphazardly tried to teach her I realized that humans have a penchant for marking days and finding deep meaning in anniversaries and special occasions.

I would like to declare a special day for today – National Be With God Day. We have religious holidays and national holidays and ridiculous holidays. But what if Christians set a side a day a year to be with God? Not to go to church (though some may want to), not to perform some ministry task or service project (though some may want to), and not to just pray (though some may want to). What I am talking about is just a day dedicated to be with God in all the ways that you can. Here are some ideas to fill your day with God:

• invite God into your day by asking him to join you in your activities
• consider a promise from God and adopt that promise as your mantra for the day
• spend 10 minutes in nature noticing everything you can about God’s creation
• be with God before being with your phone. Create a habit of talking and hearing from God before talking and hearing from anyone else
• take the slow lane and drive the speed limit, reminding yourself that Christ is with you and hurry and busyness are often ways to avoid being with God
• examine your day – where was God present? how open were you to his presence?when did you miss the mark?
• cut something out of your routine to allow more space and reliance on God. This could be cutting out a meal or the media you usually consume or an activity that is usually scheduled for that day. Rely on God for your fulfillment and not external things
• set a timer on your phone so that when it goes off you can remember to thank God for all the blessings that are provided for you
• read a Psalm, not for deep knowledge but for comfort and encouragement. Let the words soak over you to bring you inspiration

I promise you that if you commit a day to be with God, you will find an activity or practice that will impact your day and bring you closer to God. In the words of Jan Johnson, “Do what you can and not what you can’t,” and see where God takes you as you dedicate 24 hours to being with Him.

It might be one of your favorite days of the year.