Change is attractive to me. For the most part, I just take each day as it comes and enjoy it. I love new things and I love learning. Meeting new people and traveling are also very exciting for me.
I am in the midst of a big life change right now. My husband and I arrived in my hometown last night after moving back from the Cayman Islands. Although our move has been prayed over and planned for several months, nothing could quite prepare me for the goodbyes, the endless packing, moving ourselves and our stuff overseas, seeing family again for the first time in months, unpacking, starting a new church, new jobs, and also preparing for the holidays. A lot is going on for us right now. I have no doubt a lot is going on for you as well. This is just life, and it seems the longer we live, the crazier it gets.
Over the past year and a half, I lived in a wonderful place were island-time is a real thing, the pace of life is slower, and rest is beautifully possible. The Lord taught me so much through this. He taught me the importance of slowing down and looking for Him, how to truly watch for His hands at work in all things, that He is always here working and blessing, and that there is always something to be thankful for.
While I lived on that island I learned to soak things in and to pay attention to the sounds of the waves constantly beating the shore. I could hear the ocean at all times at my house. I instinctively tuned it out, but the Lord reminded me to listen, to notice that sound. I learned to see God’s grace through that friend that is always there, always checking in. To remember the voices of our sweet church congregation singing praises to Jesus with us. I learned to sit still and actually watch that ombre sky turn to dark during sunset, and to notice how each color was different than the day before. The whole earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3), which means we can see our good, good Lord in everything.
Although I am learning these things, it is still really easy for me to get so caught up in the things I have to do and the plans on my calendar that I forget to notice what is going on around me. Life easily becomes about our plans, to-dos and our jobs, but that is not what we are on earth for. Our life is a series of noticing our Lord and responding in praise to Him. We notice Him through creation, through our family and friends, through great sermons and worship songs, through sharing Him with others, through change, transition, hard times, and happy holidays.
Thanksgiving is this week, which also kicks off the Christmas season. There is so much going on, so many moving parts, families to see, schedules to coordinate, foods to bake, parties to attend, and presents to buy. I challenge you to become a noticer this season. Pay attention to the Lord working around you, notice the sweet blessings the Lord sends you and the words the great Comforter, the Holy Spirit is saying to you (John 14:26).
Notice the family member you only see around the holidays that has had a rough year, how wonderful Christmas music is or how your cute dog curls up with you on the couch. Notice the beauty of winter and clear, cold skies. Notice the joys, the hurting. Look for Him. Notice Him.
It is great to be the person that gets things done. It’s a wonderful to be a planner, to make your to-do list then work hard on checking it all off. Just don’t forget that life isn’t about those lists, or what we need to accomplish. Our life is about Jesus. It is about showing Him to all people, serving Him through our actions, and seeing Him all around us. While you are going along with your daily plans, make a conscious effort to look, listen, and see, to notice.
Look for Jesus and you will find He is everywhere. He is in you, in others, before You, behind You, all around You.
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
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