In the last video message of the Beth Moore study entitled The Quest she reminded us to:
“Keep your eyes wide open for wonderous works, perks and quirks.”
That struck me as summarizing the way I have been trying to live my life through the last few years. I have been cultivating a thankful heart, actively searching for God’s wonderous works.
For myself and my family the last 3 or 4 years have had many different challenges. While living in the thick of it, it was all too easy to become mired in the day-to-day mess and drama. Thankfully, I discovered that I could endure all of it much more easily if I practiced praising God, listing what I was thankful for and reminding myself that, “This too shall pass”.
One morning, in the early fall, as I took my dog for his morning walk, I saw a cute little red mushroom in the woods. Since I had recently downloaded an app that helped identify plants, insects, and so on, I decided to give it a try. That was the beginning of SEEING the woods… every day or two I would discover another mushroom or fungus growing on a tree. There were so many different ones! I began to marvel at the variety, the colours, the shapes, the abundance of these funny little plants that sprang up one day and were often gone a few days later. I began to praise God for his creation. I felt like He enjoyed surprising me with each new discovery. I felt Him whispering to me that He grew them with me in mind. They became like little love notes sent by God – His way of reminding me that He saw me, He was guiding me, He knew where I was, what I was doing and that He cared and was watching over all aspects of my life.
So began my habit of watching out for the little things. When I become too busy, I can pass right by the little “love notes” that God places in my path. But, when I take the time, and I see something unusual, beautiful or amazing, it reignites hope in my soul. They remind me that God is good and he desires the best for me. He will not let anything in my life go to waste. “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out this love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:5)
In the years and months that followed, I have become more watchful. Other “love notes” that God has given me include songs that speak to my heart at the right moment, the way the afternoon sun illuminates the autumn leaves on a tree, the soft vibrations of my cat as he purrs while I pet him, watching my dog’s joyful dance when it’s time to play outside, flowers finally bursting into bloom after weeks of waiting, the bird song heralding the rising sun, the taste of perfectly ripened fruit, the smell of fresh cut grass, the pristine glitter of a snow covered landscape, cozy warm blankets you can burrow into, a word of encouragement at the right time, the dappled shade under a tree… they all speak to me of God’s love and care for me. They confirm that He is a good God who loves to give good gifts to His children.
I have learned that, thankfully, not everything is a crisis, not every moment has to be dragged down by circumstances. I can be reminded of joy even in the midst of all my troubles. God loves to surprise me with so many gifts – I just have to watch for them.
by:
Mary-Lee Ramball