"Presence" | Reflection by Sarah Woodford

With soft snores, the small black cat on my stomach sinks deeper into sleep, her silky form curled from nose to four-inch tail. It always surprises me how this tiny, eight-pound cat can almost quadruple in weight when she lets everything go and thoroughly rests upon me. This is how I spend most nights these days. Whether engrossed in a writing project or a book or a television program, Lady accompanies me with her soft presence.

Even as I write this reflection (with Lady happily falling asleep on my left arm), I think of Dame Julian of Norwich. How she once said that it is God’s wish for us to simply rest in God’s love. She is the patron saint of cats and I wonder if she got such a beautiful image from her own experience of cuddling with a cat. When Lady snores away on my stomach, I hope she knows that she is resting in a place of love. And as her furry body slowly moves up and down, full of peace and rest, she reminds me of God’s daily presence and love in my life—a love that at first look seems deceptively small, but when resting within it, grows and deepens. 

As we enter this second week of Lent, where do you see, or feel, God’s quiet presence in your daily life? How can you rest in God’s love in big and small ways? How can you, in turn, give that spaciousness of love to others?