The other day I read about Jean-Pierre de Caussade and his 300-year-old book, The Sacrament of the Present Moment. I found it online and felt pleased that it was available to me. In his classic of spiritual guidance and enlightenment, Caussade encourages his readers to find each moment a holy sacrament. I have yet to read the book. It should arrive shortly. However, this review reminded me of my way of making the ordinary special and listening to God in the process.

Sometimes I discover myself skipping over the important for the urgent, hurrying to accomplish large projects at the expense of the little things that make my life feel rewarding and complete, and pushing to get everything on my “to do” list finished before I relax. At the end of the day, I am tired, anxious, anything but satisfied, realizing that I somehow missed the elusive point. It takes time to recognize that much too often, in my hurry to accomplish the urgent goals, I justify overlooking the significance of the small, ordinary tasks by saying, “You can do that later.”

But later doesn’t come, and the seemingly unimportant things, like refilling the soap dispensers, removing and rinsing out the vegetable and fruit drawers in the refrigerator before putting more into them. or straightening a cluttered drawer remain undone. I put these 5-minute-or-less tasks off until later—and later—until I awake one day and observe the unaddressed piling up around me— in every direction—and it gets me down.

At this juncture I remember what to do. I sing an old hymn from my childhood: “Take Time to be Holy.” The song’s immediate effect? Relaxing and decelerating me. Now noticing what is right in front of me, I apply myself to each task presented. The second phrase of the hymn is, “Speak oft with thy Lord.” While focusing on the small but important tasks, I converse with Him about anything that comes to mind and needs to be addressed— from my own life purpose and spiritual awareness to the needs of others. Singing the old hymn while doing these little tasks becomes my leap to engagement with my emotional and spiritual life.

God shows me that healing becomes available in the work of the moment. In slowing down I grasp that I have been hurrying in order to avoid engaging with myself and my creator. Perhaps a slight from a stranger or, worse yet, from someone close needs to be dealt with. Perhaps I need to confront a painful memory or loss that is fueling my hurried state. Details have been pushed aside in order to avoid a grief that is welling up inside of me. Hurrying in order to escape emotional issues enables me to trick myself into thinking that a hurt does not exist or an emotional/spiritual task need not be dealt with.

So, I slow down, sing my self-instruction song, and find peace in dealing with whatever task is in front of me at the moment—physical, emotional or spiritual. In doing so, I find my sacrament in the ordinary while taking time to be holy, speaking with my Lord and giving Him the opportunity continue to make me whole.