The Little Things

I opened up my old computer today and clicked on my notes and goodness knows how long this note to myself has stayed dormant.

I have always been enthralled with the changing seasons of life and weather. Perhaps God has ordained such a thing as seasons so as not to overwhelm us. 

(I must confess here that I can not remember if I was the author or someone else of these notes.)

Hopefully it will bless someone as this piece blessed me.

We all go through seasons in our spiritual and physical walk. And sometimes we can't feel much.

Sometimes in those seasons there is no choice but to walk through them.

Processing seasons of medical trauma and otherwise can lend itself to dry seasons but you just got to keep on walking.

I was hearing good preaching and music, as well as reading the Word and praying.

But it felt like nothing was sinking below the surface of my being.

One day I confessed my feelings . “After what we just went through, I feel pain sometimes, and other times, nothing- just…like a flat line,”

The answer soothed my heart, put me at ease, and prepared me for future seasons to come. 

“Just stay faithful.

The Word is doing more than you know.”

And she was right. I think sometimes we forget that the precious words of our loving God are ALIVE.

God is always using His Word to impact and change us when we submit to reading, meditating on it, and listening to it.

 

I love to listen to Scripture being read aloud- it washes over me and brings peace. Anytime we are exposed to the Word, seeds are sown in our heart that will take root and bear fruit.

Lately I’ve found myself doing a lot of listening. Sometimes when I open my mouth to sing, and tears come instead, a sob blocking my sound.

So in those times I will close my eyes, and listen to the swell of song around me from others lifting their voices in song. It sounds amazing. 

It soothes my heart and while I listen, others echo what I cannot sing and carry it upward to our listening God. And it’s ok. I’ve navigated these waters before, and I know that, in time, my song will return. And it will be a song of pure joy, a testament to the healing hand of God.

Enjoy little things

It sounds cliche, doesn’t it? Yet there is an element of healing here. Sometimes the heaviness of life settles in like a head cold that won’t go away. 

It leaves us feeling fuzzy and focusing on big stuff, sometimes to the point that we no longer know how to enjoy and smile at little things. We forget how to laugh and smiling feels fake- almost like a betrayal of our pain.

It takes a slower pace of life and a quiet heart to notice and appreciate the little things of life, and to allow the pleasure of them to linger in spite of a pressing burden. 

Somehow I think it may take a lifetime to hone this art. I believe it has its root in thankfulness- also a lifetime sacrificial work of giving thanks to His name.

When we start looking for the little things, we suddenly start to see them, hear them, smell and taste them. We begin to realize that they are real and good gifts from our Father. This in itself is a gift of His presence with us always.

And that is actually no small thing…it is just often evidenced by small things.