Expect God to show up. It was a simple point that my pastor made in his message yesterday. Expect God to show up.

It hit me right between the eyes because, well, I don’t always expect Him to show up. Just like anyone - I have my good days and my not so good days. There are days that I’m on the lookout. Asking for God to do His work and show up. And then there are the other days. The days when I get to 3 pm and I haven’t once checked in with God. Days when I’ve put it all on my shoulders.

The context was living out the Great Commission. Living out this idea that you and I were made for more. Living out this idea that we can live with purpose not just in a dream job, but in the everyday moments of our lives.

And as I write this, I’m wondering how you expect God to show up? In your life. In the life of your family. At work. With your neighbors. In your church. In the world.

True confession? The moment Mr. Pastor said it i did two things. I wrote it down in my notes app on my phone. And then I prayed for forgiveness because there are moments when I don’t have high hopes for what God will do with what I’m offering. And if you’re anything like me, you’re wondering how you even start to expect His work in the everyday rhythms of your life.

Expecting God to show up in you

If you’ve been reading here long, you’ve heard one of my fave phrases. “Your ministry is an overflow of your walk with God.” And more than anything, I think we overlook the soul health piece of expecting God to show up in us in our lives as we leap to wanting to make an impact.

The way we grow. The way we make an impact. The way we cultivate emotional and spiritual health? It’s by looking for God to show up in us. In the ways we’re working on us. In the ways we give God access to what’s going on in our hearts. In the way we acknowledge that our normal defaults don’t always serve us. In the ways we’re forced to admit that we can get in our own way.

As an Enneagram coach, I’ve learned that part of life change includes a journey of self-discovery. In the process of cultivating self-awareness, I’ve been given a gift. A gift to allow God to work in me just as I am. A gift of embracing not only my good parts, but the things that get in my way. And the gift of looking to God to change me as I lean in through the Enneagram as a tool for spiritual growth and emotional health.

Expecting God to show up in our relationships

People are people. What I mean by that is that there are many days where I don’t expect God to make an appearance when I’m in the middle of connecting with my people. I’m not always aware of how He is working in my people when I’m serving at church and trying to get things done (mostly because I’m trying to get things done). Or with my neighbors.

Even more, when I’m seeking to serve others or connect with my neighbors or coworkers. I don’t always start with prayer. I start with what I can do.

The reality is that God is working whether I’m expecting Him to show up or not. He’s working on our people. He’s working in our neighborhood. He’s working at our jobs. He’s working and sometimes we just forget to look. Sometimes we have low expectations that our people will change. Change their minds. Change their hearts. And then I’m reminded that God is the God of the impossible.

Expecting God to show up in our work

This is the last place we may look for God, am I right? My work is what I can do. I know how to do my work. And in the end, you may be asking yourself if God really cares about your work?

If he numbers the hairs on your head, he cares about your work.

God has been teaching me this lesson since I started One Foot Coaching. When I prepare for group coaching, I put together tools and themes, but I have no idea how it’s going to turn out. And I will confess to you right now, that some months my group coaching sessions are thoughtfully planned and some months I’ve run out of time and pulled together coaching tools hoping something sticks.

Every. Single.Time. God shows up. Not because I was expecting Him but because He is faithful. Every time He uses the Bible passage we look at. The coaching tools we use. The discussion around the topic. And women walk away ready to invite God in and take steps of faith.

And while your work may be different - whether it’s teaching kids, working with computers, raising amazing kids of your own, or a combination of some of those, God cares about your work too. He’s already working there. In the work that you do. With the people you work with. In the impact your work has on the world.

We can expect God to show up in our work because He is faithful and wants to use you with your unique skills, talents and gifts.

Stepping toward God

When I first started blogging, I use to end each post with what it looks like to have One Foot courage when it came to the blog subject. I stopped doing it after awhile, but a good friend reminded me of the early days. And this subject? There’s no more appropriate time than to start it up again.

So what does One Foot courage look like when we are expecting God to show up? Real talk here. Sometimes we don’t look for God to show up because we’re afraid He won’t. We wonder whether He’s forgotten us and who we are. We’re wondering if our faith isn’t enough or better yet, if we aren’t really enough. The One Foot courage of expecting God to show up is trusting that He is faithful even when we are not. It’s choosing to expect His presence and His work despite what it may look like on the outside. It’s knowing that even if it feels like He didn’t show up today, He has a plan and is choosing to work in the everyday moments of our lives.

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