Beauty can stop you in an instant, often in the most unexpected places. It can even happen on a walk that we have taken hundreds of times. We travel by the same tree or area so many times that we miss what is actually happening, the progress of the becoming. We don’t do it on purpose, of course. It isn’t as if we have simply ignored what has occurred. It has just become mundane, a part of our daily landscape. So we move on like always. Until it happens. The beauty that we have long ignored shines so bright it stops us in our tracks. Maybe the sun was shining just right that the colors drew us in, calling us to look closer. Maybe the blooms were so magnificent that to pass them by would have been impossible. Maybe we were struggling with the thoughts that sometimes overwhelm us and God whispered to us through the most delicate of his creation. Whatever happened, it is a gift which we should not pass by. It is a joy that we should not miss in our daily lives.
What might we miss today in the rush to get things done and to move on through our checklist? What joys might be awaiting us if we simply took a moment to slow down and pay attention? How might God speak to us through his creation if we were only aware of our surroundings? God is at work. God speaks in the soft whispers of his breathtaking work. Don’t miss it. It just might be the answer you’ve been searching.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 136 (selected scriptures)
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
4 who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 who spread out the earth on the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 