When I was a pastor, the Wedgewood Church participated in a God Sightings Program.  For me, it was one of those simple ideas that helped make God personal and real to people.  The idea is simple:  God appears to us everyday but we don’t see it because we don’t look for God.  By looking for God every day, we learn to see through new eyes of faith.

In the God Sightings program, people were encouraged to go out and watch how God would work in their lives during the week.  On Sunday morning we had a time where we shared God sightings.  At first it was hard for people to see, but after some practice, many of them got really good at it.  They were excited to see all the ways God works in their lives every day.

I still get emails from people who tell me about a God sighting in their life.  And I still cherish God sightings in my own life.  Here are just a few.

During the government shutdown, as government workers were being held hostage, people opened food kitchens and found ways to give back.  Although the government workers felt like pawns, they were reminded every day that people cared about them.  One of my friends worked temporarily as a car mechanic.  He had no experience but the shop owner needed an extra pair of hands and gave the NPS ranger a reason to get up every morning.

A group of restaurateurs in Washington DC opened a temporary food kitchen for government workers.  A museum in St. George Utah waived the entrance fee for furloughed workers and their families.  IDK BBQ in Tropic Utah gave away free meals to furloughed workers.  The Lakeside Ohio UMC gave away gift cards to Coast Guard members working without pay.  All of these were God sightings.

Tom and I experienced our own God sighting at the place we stayed in Georgia during the shutdown.  It can be really hard to find a place to stay in a warm climate without reservations months ahead.  The RV park we stayed in was a very busy place and was full many nights.  But they worked with us as the shutdown dragged on and promised us they would find us a place to stay every night we needed it.

For me, God sightings are a daily event.  A beautiful sunset.  A wonderful walk in the woods.  Finding a new ice cream place.  Seeing someone help another person or treat someone with kindness.  They are small, daily “I love you”s from God.  This is the beauty of a God sighting.  It doesn’t have to be a big revelation or life-changing miracle.  It is a way of seeing our partnership with God in all the small things we do every day.

How about you?  How have you seen God acting in your life?  What is your God sighting today?