An inattentive life is a life only partially lived, and so also it is with a faith to which a Christian becomes inattentive.

Pastor Robert Zuchowski of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Elk Rapids, Michigan, recently shared a piece from Tracy Welliver with parishioners regarding the importance of not taking God and His grace for granted.

“Folks who are distracted and preoccupied can find their relationships, especially the primary ones, drifting away,” Welliver wrote. “You can actually be married to someone for many years and wake up one morning realizing that you really do not know them or truly recognize them.”

It can be the same with a Christian’s relationship with God, Welliever wrote. Yet, when it becomes that way, it is important to recognize its because the individual has failed in upholding their commitment to the other – whether that other be someone in a personal relationship or God.

It is dangerous, though easy, to become complacent, to take for granted those blessings in our lives that we see as a given, whether that be the blessing of a loving relationship with another person or the blessing of God’s place in our lives, Welliver wrote.

Sharing a story of a time he startled his son one early morning when his son came down and didn’t notice him already there, Welliver discusses the capacity of a person, focused on other things, to miss someone who is right in front of them.

“At times that person we don’t see is Jesus,” Welliver wrote. “He might seem quiet some days, but he should never be hidden from our view. He is always there with us, in others, and sharing our everyday moments.”

And when we forget that Jesus is there with us in every moment and in every person, it is that much easier to fall into habits and behaviors we would be ashamed of if we acknowledged His presence, Welliver wrote.