DON'T MISS THE MIRACLES

(devotional for Sunday 4/29/12)

Have you ever driven along a road and not really seen what was on each side of you because you were so focused on the destination, you didn't take time to look around?  Have you ever been on a boat ride and spent most of the time looking out to the horizon and forgotten to look right over the side to see the little ripples running off to the side and behind?  Have you ever looked out over a large field, admiring the peacefulness of the pasture, but never taking a pair of binoculars to seek out what was hidden? Have you ever walked a path looking around you but never scrutinized the crevices along the sides to see what might be growing there?

How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. Psalm 104:24-25 NIV

I went on a retreat the last several days in the mountains by a national forest in Arizona.  One morning I arose early after sunrise and took a hike up a gravel road.  I had been told there were beautiful views of the rim of a canyon at the top, so my mind was looking forward to that scenery as I trudged up the steep incline.  My eyes were searching through the trees to get a glimpse of that rocky edge.  They were right - I found many gorgeous views along a road at the top of the hill.  I took my time taking pictures of the rocky rim to one side of the road and forested hills on the other until I came to the end of the road.  On my way back I decided I would look to the sides as I walked down the same sloping path.  My eyes this time were searching for the small things on the ground that I may have missed on the way up.  Sure enough, I was rewarded with seeing some beautiful, delicate little flowers.  Some were hardly bigger than a large pinhead on some ground cover peaking out through the crevices of some rocks. Others were taller wildflowers in brilliant hues of orange and yellow as well as white.  These flowers were there on my way up the road too; they did not suddenly spring up within an hour to greet me on my return trip.

This same scenario can play out in our life.  We may be so busy looking ahead, hoping and planning for the future, that we miss the little joyful moments along the way.  We may be so focused on looking at the big picture that we miss the tiny miracles.  God has created an amazing world - both in the big picture as well as the tiny miracles.  We can learn to appreciate the beauty in both. Sometimes we just need to change our focus to take it all in.

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. Job 5:9 AND Job 9:10 NIV

Dear God in heaven, creator of the entire universe, thank you for all your wonderful gifts in my life, and please help me not miss the tiny miracles along my path. Amen.

photo and writing by Jan Anderse