在1692年，法國修士勞倫斯的名著（中文書名《操練與神同在》）首次出版。他在書中描述如何在平凡的日常瑣事中，邀請上帝與他同在。時至今日，他的教導依然提醒我們在每一件事上，無論是在修剪花木、購買雜貨，還是遛狗，都要禱告尋求上帝。

每天，我都會帶著愛犬東東出去散步。我的目的是讓牠出來運動。但東東的目的是什麼呢？是聞遍所有的氣味。把這段時間稱為「散步」其實是過於美化，我們多半是停得多、走得少。最近，我不再因東東常常停下來而感到不耐煩，反而在遛狗的時候祈求上帝幫助我明白：人生的旅途或許也是如此，停得多、走得少。然而若我們在每天的活動裡，忠心順服上帝，即使是有意料之外的插曲或停頓，仍能經歷上帝的同在。

在箴言第6章，所羅門以平凡無奇的「螞蟻」為例，勸勉我們要好好工作。他說：「懶惰人哪，你去察看螞蟻的動作就可得智慧」（6節）。所羅門用螞蟻闡述天天都要殷勤工作（7-8節）。

我們與上帝的關係無需分為特定的「屬靈」時刻，例如去教會或靈修時。相反地，當我們忠心順服上帝，上帝就會讓我們在每天的生活中，看見處處都有祂的同在和作為。

In 1692, Brother Lawrence’s work The Practice of the Presence of God was first published. In it, he described how he invited God into his mundane daily activities. Brother Lawrence’s words still challenge us to prayerfully seek God in everything we do, like mowing the yard, getting groceries, or walking the dog.

Each day, I take our dog, Winston, for a walk. My goal for him is to exercise. Winston’s goal? Sniffing everything. Calling this time “a walk” is a generous fiction. More often, we’re going for a . . . stop. Lately, instead of getting frustrated by a lack of forward progress, I’ve been asking God to help me see these moments as a reminder that life is a lot like walking a dog. We experience God’s presence as we faithfully obey Him in life’s everyday activities, including their unexpected interruptions.

In Proverbs 6, Solomon offers a similar lesson, using the everyday, humble example of the ant to call us to work faithfully: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise” (v. 6). Solomon used ants as an example of everyday, patient labor (vv. 7-8).

Our relationship with God needn’t be compartmentalized into designated “spiritual” times alone, like church or a quiet time. Instead, as we faithfully obey Him, God invites us to see His divine fingerprints throughout each day.