Bishop Michael Pham of San Diego has a truly remarkable story to share. In 1975, when he was only 8 years old, Bishop Pham was forced to flee Vietnam with his family. Communists had taken over, and the streets were filled with tear gas and violence. In this episode of “The Spiritual Life” podcast with Father James Martin, Bishop Pham narrates his family’s treacherous journey as refugees.

Over the course of six years, they faced many travails—from overcrowded boats and blistering heat, to famine and pirates, to separation at a refugee camp in Malaysia. It is a harrowing tale that illustrates the harsh realities that so many migrants face, both then and now. 

“And through time,” Bishop Pham reflects, “I sense the hand of God is there.” He doesn’t gloss over the tragic circumstances: the children who died around him, the painful separation from his family, the thirst, the hunger or the fear. But he is able to trace moments of profound grace that altered the course of his family’s journey. 

One unmistakable sign of God’s presence in his life is the fact that Bishop Pham began his journey as a refugee and is now, as the bishop of San Diego, in a position to intervene and accompany migrants who are facing deportation. The bishop has shown up at the courthouse; he’s banded together with his brother bishops to issue a statement in solidarity with migrants, and he’s organized over 700 volunteers to continue this ministry of accompanying migrants through the legal system. “And these people, we don’t know where they may end up in their lives,” he says. But Bishop Pham hopes that they will be able to say, “When I was in a difficult time, the church was there for me.”

So what enables a person to recognize the hand of God at work in their life? And are there practices that can help us notice that guidance more often, even when life is difficult or perilous? As I listened to Bishop Pham, I noted a few key ways that he scans his life for God’s presence:

  1. He remembers the small details. Although the experience of being a refugee is decades in the past and he was only a young boy at the time, Bishop Pham is able to recall many significant details from his experience. We can also log the details of our day through praying the Examen, journaling or sharing our stories in community. 
  1. He doesn’t allow one bad moment, however heartbreaking, to define the entire journey. It can be difficult to see God’s work in our lives during moments of great trial or suffering. However, with time, after the clouds part, we often have an easier time spotting God’s grace.
  1. Bishop Pham has a spirituality that is completely grounded in a relationship of trust with God. “I grow because I place trust in God and God will get me through,” he says. This doesn’t mean that things always go as he would like, or that the migrants he accompanies aren’t saddled with real burdens. It means that he places his trust in God to help us shoulder those struggles.  

We could take a page from Bishop Pham’s book by reflecting on the details but not getting lost in the worst moments and trusting God will be with us through it all. 

Maggi Van Dorn is the Senior Audio Producer for America Media.