Are You Oblivious?

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. ~ Psalm 19:1

Elijah's view

How is it we can be smack-dab in the middle of something beautiful and completely unaware? I'd been oblivious to God wooing me with His creation lately until others pointed it out.

Last weekend my daughter’s boyfriend, Elijah, came to visit. This Oregon boy has been to our home on the farm in South Carolina numerous times, but that afternoon he noticed something that, until then, had escaped my attention. “Wow!” he said as he looked over the expanse of our property. “This place is absolutely beautiful! I’ve never seen these trees with leaves on them before.” At first I was surprised by his comment. After all, this certainly wasn't his first time seeing our backyard. Then, I realized it was his first time seeing it in the spring, since he only just started coming around last fall.

I’d been busily preparing for a party all week, but for the first time stopped and looked up. He was right. We were surrounded by the bursting forth of spring in the lush foliage and beautiful blue sky whose sun was glinting off the lake below. I allowed myself to take it all in for a moment before advising him to enjoy it now, since the green would turn hard and brown when summer came. As soon as those sarcastic words escaped my lips I felt convicted. Why did I give a grave prediction instead of soaking up the flourishing attraction in my own backyard? 

Elijah's view 

I realized then how often I'd been looking down at my to-do list and inward toward negative thinking instead of looking up at the beauty and out towards the people around me. It’s amazing how daily demands and negative thoughts keep us from experiencing the potential joy around us.

Later that week, I’d ordered a pizza to be delivered to our home. When the doorbell rang, I ran to greet the girl holding our dinner and she immediately commented on our great view of the sunset from the front porch. I hadn’t noticed lately. But she was right. When I looked beyond her over the pasture, the sky was aglow as if God had taken His paintbrush and created a watercolor of pinks, reds and purples just for our delight. But I’d been missing out on this treat lately because the tyranny of the urgent had taken over my evenings.

Sunset view from our front porch

When we first built our home on the farm twelve years ago, a friend of mine commented every time she visited we needed to call it the Big Sky Farm. She loved taking in the allure of God’s handiwork we had planted ourselves right in the middle of. I guess those years have dulled my senses to our surroundings. But I’m intent on gazing at it with fresh eyes again. I want to see the country as I used to, in awe of the nature encircling me.

As I was having my prayer time this week, I looked out over the sun dancing across the waves of the lake and was overwhelmed. At that moment, basking in the beauty of His creation, I was blessed by the Holy Spirit because I’d taken the time to be still in His presence. The majesty of God is revealed everywhere if we’ll stop long enough to drink it in.

The view of the lake from my prayer spot

Have you been too busy lately to look up and delight yourself in the beauty of God’s handiwork? If so, stop now and take it all in. You may be surprised by joy!