“Where have you seen God working lately?” Our pastor asked.
I glanced over at a smudge on the wall to avoid his eyes. I could not think of a “lately” example.
How can that be?? Everything that I believe about God declares that He is alive and active!
I’ve come to the humble realization that it is not the Lord who goes silent. It’s me who occasionally goes blind. I miss observing and participating.
How can that be?? How can I overlook the movement of God’s hand? It’s actually easier than one might imagine. We have the tendency to notice only what is of personal interest. This selective attention cuts out much that transpires around us.
The 1999 research project by Simons and Chabris vividly displayed our myopic tendencies. Want to test you attention ability? Watch this video and count the ball passes:
Rather humbling. How much am I missing????
A while ago…
I told my husband about our friend’s new pick-up truck. I knew he would be excited for Bill and his new purchase.
“That’s great! What make is it?”
“…um…” Squinting at the ceiling did not help my recall.
“Ford? Toyota?” He prompted.
“It’s white,” was all I could manage with a slight shoulder shrug and little grin.
He shook his head in dismay.
A few months passed…
We prepared to go to a family wedding. Our daughter came down with a nasty case of the flu (yes, vomiting was involved). Since the wedding was for my husband’s cousin, we decided it would be best for him to go so he could visit with his extended family.
When he returned from the wedding and I could not wait to hear the details!
“What were the colors of the wedding?”
“…um…” His hesitation betrayed limited recollection.
“What about the bride’s dress? Sleeveless? Long or short train?” I prompted.
“It was white.” Big toothy grin!
Hilarious!!
Yep, we have the tendency to notice only what is of interest to us. My husband and I had both missed details in these experiences. They were obvious details but only to the one asking the questions. At a minimum, we did not mentally register some of the aspects of our circumstances.
Where Have You Seen God at Work?
Back to the original question, “where is God working?” We know that He is present and active. To see Him, however, we need observant eyes. When we are so busy with our own agendas, we miss the divine details playing out all around us!
I want to live beyond the selective attention of my own interests. Today I will look for God’s hand. Today will take note of circumstances and people and words. I will not miss God’s fingerprints in my life. Then tomorrow, repeat.
If we look for God’s hand, then we will see it. But if we don’t even look and it’s not particularly important to us, we will miss Him every time.
Your Turn
We need to be better observers of God’s hand in our lives. We can then fulfill the command to be His witnesses and to tell of the marvelous things He is doing!
Let’s give God the glory for all that is happening around us! Where have you seen God working lately?
The more we look, the more we see. The more we see the more we thank Him. The more grateful we are the more our joy grows. The came that we might have joy and that our joy might be complete just as Jesus joy is complete in the Father and Holy Spirit. AND our strength comes from our joy in the Lord. What a blessed cycle!
Love the “blessed cycle”!! It’s a great image of growing intimacy and gratitude in the Lord! Thanks for stopping in and adding your inspiration, Carol!
What a great way to make a point with the hilarious attention test! We do need to pay close attention to see God working in the details of our lives and what we focus on makes a huge difference. People look for “signs and wonders.” Jesus warned us about the pitfalls in seeking adventure for its own sake. But I think we see God working in spectacular ways only when we are working on spectacular problems. And I do not think everyone is called to the type of work for the Lord that makes for frequent, dramatic stories (although there may be many who are not responding to that vocation). Some of the great blessings of my challenging life are the times I have found respite in homes of ordered, harmonious peace. Like a waterfall one finds suddenly in a thick forest, the soul and body are refreshed for the arduous journey that must be resumed. The people who have the means and leisure to create such oases and the grace to share them are contributing to the work of the Kingdom, just as Mary and Martha and Lazarus did for Jesus and His followers at Bethany and as the unnamed provider of the Upper Room did for Jesus and His apostles at their last Passover feast together. Sometime, the word of reassurance and hope or the squeeze of a hand makes a world of difference. May you have eyes to see how God is already using you in your gentleness and grace.
So true, Laurna! God reveals Himself with beauty and grace in the every day breath-taking moments. It is amazing to witness God’s spectacular miracles yet so many more divine moments of waterfalls and oases are happening all around! Thank you for being a part of this conversation. I so appreciate your kind words, Laurna!