Practice of Presence

Music has always played a crucial role in Frankie Orella’s life. Whether she’s leading worship for churches or writing and recording her own songs, Frankie’s music moves people. In fact, her goal is to create music that helps people know they’re not alone—even in the most painful moments of their lives.

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The past year has been different than any other in regards to traditional spiritual practice. I became a mom in May of 2021, and with that came all sorts of thoughts, feelings, changes, and wonderings. Even typing that, I am met with the immediate thought of Excuses, excuses. But I’m not going to own that, and I think it’s actually a lie at this moment in my life.

I grew up in the church and was always being asked if I was having quiet time, how it was going, what God was teaching me, what revelations I was having, and so on. And for the first time in my life this past year, I decided to embrace the lack of traditional spiritual practice—at least for a season.

Hear me out. I think it’s easy to forget about God in the mundane when we’re constantly trying to do the next church thing. I’ve had seasons of obsessively trying to schedule a quiet time, reading the books, the devotionals, and attending the small groups, and in all of that, I had completely forgotten about God’s existence in the mundane moments of my life. In my work, washing the dishes, changing diapers, exercising, having coffee with a friend, driving. I had limited God’s presence to a corner of a couch, a room, a book, or a group of people, and it was killing me. I had never felt further from God.

So my spiritual practice right now? Noticing. Being present and thoughtful in everything I’m doing. As my awareness of God in everyday life has grown, so has my gratitude. I’m increasingly grateful for my family’s health, our home, groceries, the community where we live, and a job that has, at times, made me so angry. I’m becoming more in awe that something I love so much ever turned into a job.

Different moments in life call for different practices, and this is the one that feels most appropriate until it’s time for something else.

—Frankie Orella, a singer-songwriter who released her second EP in 2022, as told to Rapt Interviews

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