Practicing the Presence | Prompt 1: Sunlight Through Leaves

“Photograph sunlight filtering through leaves.”

There is something quietly holy about the way light moves through the world.

Not just the sunrise or sunset kind of light—but the soft, ordinary light that dapples through trees on your morning walk, glints off the kitchen counter, or spills across the carpet when no one is watching.

This light doesn’t demand attention.
It just arrives.

And when we notice it—when we stop for a moment, breathe, and look up, we’re reminded:
God is here, too.

What is “Practicing the Presence”?

It’s an old phrase, most often associated with Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century monk who found God not only in prayer but in washing dishes.

It means learning to be with God in the everyday: in the chopping of vegetables, the tying of shoes, the folding of laundry. In birdsong. In traffic. In sunlight through leaves.

It’s not about doing more, but about noticing more.

About looking again.

Try This

At some point today, pause and look for the light, not just where it is obvious, but where it’s slipping in quietly.

Take a photo if you like. Not to perform or impress, but to practice presence. To hold the moment. To remember.

Ask yourself:

• What does this light reveal?

• What is God like in this moment?

• What happens in me when I pause to notice?

If you’d like to share what you find, tag your photo with #PracticingPresence or leave a comment below. I’d love to see through your eyes.