A child in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. His mother and father, obviously poor, huddled around, the stench of animals also hanging around.

If I was to walk by this scene, what would I do? Hold my nose and keep walking? Offer the parents a couple of bucks?

Would I have the eyes to see the divine in the mundane? Would I have stopped to worship in awe and wonder? Would my heart recognize my Lord and Savior?

Would I have realized that this humble family is my role model? Would I want them to be, just upon a glimpse? The divine, though almost unapparent, is present to the eyes of faith and a heart of love. The divine is present every day.

The divine is present in the child who needs my help, the husband who needs some of my time with him alone, a teen who needs some compassionate guidance and a family living together and trying to love one another. The divine is present in the homeless man holding a sign on the street corner, the addict fighting his addiction, the unwed mother raising her child alone. The divine is present in a small, white piece of unleavened bread.

The divine can be present if we just believe and pray. Then our minds will be set on what’s above. When we return to our everyday work, we can see things differently.

We will see St. Joseph in our husbands working hard day in and day out to provide for the family. We will see Jesus in the helpless baby that craves our warm touch and comfort; in the toddler who needs help dressing; in the child eager to explore the beautiful world around him; in the teen who temporarily gets a little lost.

Jesus is present in the child who desires to help mom do something. Moreover, we will recognize in the simple, little object that a child makes out of love all the beauty of God’s creation.

If we want to be the image of the Holy Family, we must see the divine in the mundane, ordinary things of life.

In what ordinary, everyday thing or person do you see the divine?

Copyright 2014 Kelly Guest