Kristi Pennington

A couple of weeks ago something caught my eye on our bedroom floor. I bent down to pick it up, quite sure it was trash and probably needed to be thrown away. I eat grapes quite often so wasn’t surprised it was a tiny, dried tendril that once had three grapes attached to it. After picking it up something stood out to me that made me pause. It was a noticing that drew me close to Jesus. This tiny dried-up tendril was in the shape of a cross.

This pause became sacred as I asked myself this question: What does the cross symbolize to me?

It is a symbol of Jesus’ death. I also asked myself, “What does that mean to you, Kristi?” I quickly thought of ten things about the cross and its significance to me. I was reminded that:

• I belong to Jesus and He belongs to me.
• Jesus rose from the dead.
• Jesus is not on the cross any more.
• This means He’s alive, not dead.
• The cross is a symbol of God’s love.
• This means He loves me.
• This means He’s going to take care of me, even in dark traumatic events.
• This means He’s constantly saying to me, “You don’t have to worry about any hard thing you’re going through.”
• It means I can receive His peace at all times.
• The cross is a reminder that I have supernatural power at work in me and around me because He made His power available for His beloveds in the person of the Holy Spirit.

That moment in time, the moment I picked up that tendril, became a poignant prayerful place of worship.

Where have you recently experienced God’s presence that at first glance seemed rather ordinary but then took you to a place of worship?

I’d love to hear from you. Please share your experience in the comments.