At least once a day, I walk downstairs for a cup of coffee. With a mug in hand, I walk back through the kitchen, through the living room, up the stairs, down the hallway, through my daughter’s bedroom, and through the ¾ door that goes to my office above the garage.
And my goal is to not spill a drop. The secret to success is focusing on the cup, and letting everything else fall into the peripheries. Of course, a stray LEGO piece or doll house chair might throw me off. But it doesn’t work to do it the other way – to focus on what’s in front of me and let my coffee be in the periphery.
There’s an apt metaphor here for the grace we receive in prayer. Each morning, we have the opportunity to fill our cup with God’s graces, insights, little lights that He sends our way. And then our task is to live our day without spilling the cup.
With our eyes focused on God, we can let everything else fall to the peripheries. And when we do this, far from ignoring the things in front of us, we actually see them in their proper place.
The reality is that most of us live in the world. There are times where we metaphorically have to set the cup down to complete a task. That’s okay. Simply pick it up again.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, every day you offer us Your graces. Teach us to cherish them, to hold on to them, to return to them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us.
