Embracing the Small: Finding God in Everyday Annoyances | with Elise Tegegne

Stephanie interviews Elise Tegegne, author of In Praise of House Flies. They discuss finding God’s presence, grace, and growth in the ordinary and sometimes challenging moments of daily life. Spiritual growth is cultivated not by spectacular moments, but by surrender, humility, dependence, and wonder woven into the fabric of everyday life. As Elise’s experience, book, and wisdom reveal, God meets us in the little things—if we will simply open our eyes and hearts to Him.

Elise’s story begins with her call to serve as a missionary teacher in Ethiopia—an experience that brought her, for the first time, into the depths of her own inadequacy. Far from home and outside her comfort zone, she quickly realized she could not succeed on her own. Failure and discomfort became a means by which she experienced true intimacy with God. When everything felt overwhelming, the only option was to get “on her knees,” literally and figuratively, praying for help.

Elise discusses how being confronted with her own limits brought a new kind of freedom. Growing up as a high-performing student, she hadn’t needed to rely on anyone but herself. But in Ethiopia, humility was forced upon her—and it led to spiritual liberation.

Humility is the posture that opens us to God’s grace. It’s not natural or easy—especially for those of us wired for achievement or “Martha” types—but it’s essential. Elise points out that praying for humility is scary, but necessary, and God has ways to gently answer that prayer.

True humility is not self-deprecation but a realistic acknowledgment of need—opening the way for grace. God “gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Cultivating humility by embracing moments that challenge our sense of control, happens by asking Him for a gentle, transforming touch.

Motherhood and daily life made Elise redefine prayer. No longer only reserved for a quiet hour, prayer became integrated into every moment: while nursing her baby, washing dishes, or shopping with her in-laws, who taught her to pray over even the smallest activities.

Prayer can permeate our entire day. Turn every activity—however small—into a moment of connection and dependence on God. “In everything, by prayer and supplication, make your requests known to God.”

The title of Elise’s book, In Praise of House Flies, inspires us to look for God’s presence even in the annoyances and the mundane: the “house fly” moments we’d rather swat away. Life is lived not just in the big events, but in myriad little acts of faithfulness, wonder, and surrender.

Adopting a childlike wonder, Elise encourages us to practice gratitude, see the holy in the everyday, and recognize God’s gifts everywhere. Resist waiting for the “next big thing.” Instead, let’s train our attention on the daily opportunities God gives for transformation, gratitude, and worship. Like children, we marvel at the beauty and sacredness embedded in the ordinary.

MORE ABOUT ELISE TEGEGNE AND HER BOOK, “IN PRAISE OF HOUSEFLIES”

Through the lens of personal experience, Elise Tegegne reflects on the redemptive glimmers in ordinary challenges ranging from canceled flights to insomnia. In Praise of Houseflies gives readers an opportunity to listen for what their own everyday quandaries can teach and to delight in the abundant graces blossoming within them. It is an essential message of hope, joy, and redemption imparted through deep, nourishing reflection.

Elise says of herself, “Living alone and young as a high school French teacher in Ethiopia, I found a world that beautifully upended mine. I found God with skin and bones. And I found the one my soul loves. After giving birth to my son, I left my teaching career to pursue the delights of motherhood and writing. Since then I’ve been listening for God’s voice in the rhythms of everyday life, keeping my eyes open for abundant graces—and seeking to capture what I find in words. My first book In Praise of Houseflies: Meditations on the Gifts in Everyday Quandaries (Calla Press) is now available wherever books are sold. I received a BA in Creative Writing and French from Indiana University and hold an MFA from Seattle Pacific University. “

More at https://www.elisetegegne.com/ 

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