Things Are… Devotion 71

We have all heard it.  We may have even spoken it.  We certainly are likely guilty of thinking it.  It seems almost inevitable.  It happens without even considering whether it is right or wrong. The thought just sneaks up on us and there seems to be evidence to support it.  We get caught up in it and our conversations begin to steer in that direction.  Before long, it is how we think and it has consumed us.  What is it?  Thoughts like, “It is as bad as I have ever seen it”… “It has never been like this before”…. “It can’t get too much worse”… “I miss the good ole days”… “Things are just horrible and we can’t go on like this”…and so on.

We let these thoughts sneak into our minds and begin to consume how we think.  They cloud our views of the world and the events.  We begin to see everything through a lens that suggests that this is the worst possible situation that could ever be.  Everything we see is now from a perspective of the difficult.  There are plenty of news reports to support our view.  The problem is that this is not true.  It is a false narrative that we have given ourselves and now inhabit.  This narrative begins to play in our minds and in our thoughts and consumes us.  But this is not the truth.  It is a perspective of what is around us.  It is not the only perspective.

Sure, there are lots of changes going on.  These are challenging times.  There are things to be concerned about.  I am not downplaying any situation.  But I think by honing in on the difficulties, we miss the beauty.  We miss the sunrises that still happen because God says so.  We miss the birds that sing their amazing songs.  We miss the flowers that bloom, the vegetables that provide nutrients, the rains that fall to water the earth.  We miss the opportunities to give thanks to God for all that he has done and continues to do.  This is not the worst it has ever been.  The good ole days were not all that good.  And there are plenty of breathtaking surprises yet to be seen and experienced.

Today, instead of looking for the worst in everything…find something beautiful.  Find something amazing.  Look for the incredible.  It is captured in the ordinary.  It is right before our eyes.  We simply need to pay attention.  It is there.  Find it.  And talk about THAT.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 92:1-4

¹ It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
² to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
³ to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
⁴ For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery