As I was driving back from the school run this morning it struck me how quickly the trees have greened up and how that flash of the delicate pink and white blossoms have become so much more noticeable than it was perhaps even a week or two ago. The delicate green of the new leaves as they unfurl into the daylight, or the splash of colour in our flower beds as the peonies, azaleas and early flowering roses begin their dance in the sunshine, reminds us of the wonder of nature all around us. Of course it isn’t just in what we see – the sound of the twittering birds, the feel of the warm sun on our faces or the splash of the rain as we rush to take our washing off the line, the smell of cut grass and even the odd BBQ, the taste of those glasses of something nice on the patio with family and friends – all remind us of the change of the season and the faithfulness of our wonderful God who gives us all these blessing, even though so often we are too busy to truly appreciate them, or at times even to notice them.
So often the rush of life takes us away from really acknowledging what is going on all around us. We hurry though life without really taking notice of what is going on. Of course, the things that directly impact on us may have some impact but those day-to-day changes so often pass us by. So whether we see wonder in the growing plants around us or the growing children or grandchildren in our families, whether it’s in the small changes in the time the sun rises and sets each day or the buzz of the insects as they help to bring about the next generation of plants, let’s remember that each change, each growth, each action is there because of a God who loves us, who loves the world and whose glorious plan is being enacted each and every day.
I wonder today if we can be mindful of all that is around us – let’s take time to really look and notice what is there. Let’s take a moment to be grateful for what we see, hear, feel, taste and smell, for the people in our lives, for the wonder we experience in our lives and for our place in this time in God’s awesome world.
Maybe focusing on these verses from Lamentations 3:22-23 might help us in our acknowledgement of God who we find all around us?
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Catherine Booton
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