Start Living...

Well, good April afternoon.  Sunny and beautiful day; a perfect day for a lesson (for me, anyway) on the simple art of being aware.  Isn't it amazing how God will use ANYTHING to get your attention, or to get your "innattentiveness", as the case is with me. 

Having completed my to-do list for the day, I opted to spend the afternoon outside, since there is a threat of thunderstorms to come later tonight, and into early morning, and also, because I just had NO desire to sit inside.  As I am sitting outside, I begin to see things in a whole new way, with a new perspective.  Where I once saw only a bush, now I saw the blooms on the bush; where I once saw only stalks of so-called weeds, now I saw that there were flowers budding on the ends of those "weeds"; where I once saw only grass growing, I now saw flowers strategically placed among the grassy area. 

Now, that may seem like a small thing, but I realized that in my haste, and in my inattentiveness, I had missed out on the growth.  The most important thing that the Lord pointed out to me, and as soon as I heard it, I knew...it is for me.  "You need to stop...and live life." 

Then, in a most amazing way, allowed me to see something that I had been looking at all along, but had never "noticed".  Here it is...Grass grows up, right?  and trees grow upward too, yes?  and most flowers grow straight up, too, correct?  Answer would be yes, in a typical case scenario; however, when God showed me this, I had an "aha moment", revelation, as it were. 

There is a certain spot in my backyard where it is mostly shady.  The particular blooms in THAT spot are growing SIDEWAYS!!  It was then that I heard that they were "reaching for the light."  REACHING!!  Because of the darkness of the shade, these buds are growing out at an angle, so they can get ahold of the sunlight...aka - the light. 

Pondering this, don't we all know the God is the Light?  Isn't it amazing how even the plants, trees and grass crave this Light, in order to grow and thrive?  and if God said that these things, those which neither toil nor gather, are protected in Him, HOW MUCH MORE are we protected and cared for by Him?

I sure did need this word today.  It is when the Light is shone on us, and through us, that we are succeptible to the greatest growth, and sometimes, the way to grow is not necessarily straight up.  Like the little flowers growing sideways in order to get light, craving it...there is something inate within us to do the same.  

Be encouraged today!  

Luke 12:22-34