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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Rachel Gardner, director of a charity which specialises in innovative youth work.

Good morning.

In my lounge is a huge mirror. It’s so big and heavy that we can’t hang it on any of the hooks in our new home. So it’s propped up in the corner where it will probably stay until our next move!

Yesterday I walked past it and caught sight of some very sticky hand prints made by my toddler. Two perfectly formed prints made by a little boy who knows how to leave his mark wherever we go; whether that’s muddy footprints on my friend’s white carpet or toy cars stuffed down the back of the sofa at the local coffee shop.

‘You always leave something behind when you pop round,’ a neighbour gently teased me. ‘Maybe it’s because we always want an excuse to come back!’ I replied.

When Jesus knew he was about to leave his disciples, he wanted to do something they’d remember him by. Something that would reassure them that although he was about to suffer and die, this wasn’t the end. So he waited until they were eating a meal together and then he took the bread and the wine, and forever transformed how they would see their everyday lives and his presence with them.

Faith is a way of life. It’s a way of life that finds the presence and power of Jesus in the ordinary, everyday things. Like making that first cup of tea of the day, going to work, chatting with a friend, waiting for test results, doing the washing up or beating your Dad at FIFA.

God, may I know your presence with me in each mundane thing I do today. May I discover the wonder in this world that you’ve made and in this life that you’ve given me. May I look to you for the comfort, wisdom and courage that I need. Teach me to draw close to you. Thank you that you’re already close to me.

Amen.

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