A Thought to Begin
“Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing all around you. And then it will really be a good day.”
Scripture
“How can we possibly give thanks to God for all the joy we feel…?”
Reflection
When was the last time you were astonished?
Maybe it was the beauty of the sunrise this morning, your children laughing as they played in the afternoon sun, an unexpected kindness you never saw coming, or something so ordinary you almost missed it.
These astonishments—and so many other signs of God’s love—surround us every day.
My dad always used to say to me, “Everybody has a story.”
He was right.
Our stories are made up of all our experiences—our joys and sadness, our excitement and challenges, and the many amazing ordinary moments that fill our days. When we learn to look closely at our stories, we begin to notice God in the small details.
A dear friend of mine, Deb, taught me the beauty of ordinary moments.
She did not need something dramatic to be filled with wonder. She was fully present to whoever was in front of her. She became excited about what was happening in their life, noticed the smallest details, and found joy in things most of us might have passed by.
Being with Deb made you feel seen.
Her delight was contagious. She had a way of saying, “Look!” without always using the word. She helped the people around her recognize that even the smallest moments could be filled with beauty, meaning, and joy.
It was Deb who first introduced me to Mary Oliver’s words and to Louie Schwartzberg’s TEDxSF talk, Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.
Looking back, that feels fitting. Deb did not simply tell me to notice the wonder around me.
She showed me how.
Unfortunately, our lives can become so filled with distractions that our view of these astonishments becomes blocked. We move quickly from one task to the next, thinking about what has already happened or worrying about what still needs to be done.
Meanwhile, God continues to surround us with signs of His love, patiently waiting for us to notice.
I have found that when I am filled with worry and stress and become closed off by my own thoughts, I stop noticing the things that once astonished me.
I hate to sound corny, but I stop seeing the beauty in the world. Life begins to feel plain, dull, worrisome, and just plain blah.
It can be difficult to break out of that cycle. I become so focused on my own stress and worry that I lose awareness of everything around me.
I become simply unaware.
The opposite of grateful living is not ingratitude.
It is unawareness.
That is when I need to pause and look again.
I need to notice what is in my life, who is in my life, and where God may be showing me His love.
As I begin to pay attention, wonder returns. The ordinary begins to feel extraordinary, and I recognize that God has been present all along.
Grateful living is more than simply seeing the good. It is the art of slowing down, paying attention to the little things, allowing ourselves to be filled with wonder and love, and then sharing that astonishment with others.
It is when we ask ourselves:
“God, was that You I just saw?”
God is always surrounding us. Grateful living opens our eyes, allowing us to see His presence in our ordinary, everyday lives.
This is the kind of life I want to live.
A life that notices God.
A life that receives His love with wonder.
A life that allows gratefulness to overflow into the blessings all around us.
Perhaps that is the invitation of grateful living: to slow down, open our eyes, and allow the wonder of God’s presence to change the way we move through the world.
When we begin to notice the blessings all around us, gratefulness does not remain quietly within us.
It becomes joy, kindness, generosity, and love.
It overflows.
Something to Think About…
Take a few minutes today to watch Louie Schwartzberg’s TEDxSF talk, Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.
As you watch, ask yourself: What ordinary blessing might God be inviting me to notice today, and how can I allow my gratefulness to overflow into someone else’s life?