"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever."
~ 1 Chronicles 16:34
Question...
Have you ever found yourself scrolling through your newsfeed, suddenly stopped in your tracks?
What stopped you?
Someone is globetrotting again.
Someone has beautifully redecorated another room in their house.
Someone is having another adventure.
Someone is hitting the red carpet all glammed up.
Who knows, something stops you.
And if not, good for you!
On the off chance someone else's extraordinary (likely momentary) reality makes you do a double take of your ordinary day-to-day reality, I thought it would be worth taking a moment to consider.
Of course, once in a while it's okay to dream. In fact, it's okay to dream a lot, I think. But, when you're connected to 2,193 people, the highlight reel may occasionally distract. Perhaps there are shades of, why not me?
Whatever the less than healthy reaction, it seemed worth building a defense for the ordinary.
There's always the standard...
Give thanks for the air in your lungs, because somewhere in the world someone didn't wake up this morning.
Give thanks for the food on your plate, because somewhere someone isn't able to enjoy that blessing.
... or the power connecting when the light switch flips.
... or the clean hot water when the faucet goes on.
You name it. Our blessings in this world are abundant and many.
When the world is constantly trying to sell us on more, bigger, better, it can take something to take a beat, take a breath, take a step back, and find the extraordinary in the ordinary.
This can be as simple as taking a walk and being aware of the wonder of the details of the creation of the Creator.
We can dwell on the simple joys of the present, and the past if we want.
Remember that electricity and running water?
Thank You, God! Thank You, for hot water on demand, for lights, for heat.
We can dwell on and savour the food in front of us. (There are bonus health benefits to that as well.)
We can think about the wonderful people we encounter on a daily basis and be grateful for them, perhaps even say a prayer for them.
We can willfully look for the glass half full, for the silver lining, no matter the circumstance.
When I was growing up, we would sit down to family dinner. (Love those memories!) To break the ice, Mom would ask, What are three good things that happened today?
Exercises like that are an amazing way to train ourselves up to truly appreciate and give thanks for the ordinary.
So, next time you pass a post from a friend on the beach in Fiji, rather than going down a bit of a mental rabbit warren, perhaps look around and take note of the small things to be grateful for.
Is it a clean kitchen?
Is it the smell of coffee brewing?
Is it the sunlight streaming through the window?
Step by step, we relish in the ordinary beautiful moments of life, and everything is more rich... even the big adventures, when we have the opportunity.
We never know what we're called to in the simplicity and routine of life. If we can get good at shining light and giving thanks in all things, in the run of the mill tasks, in the daily journey, making the seemingly mundane a glorious gift from God, who knows where that may take us?!
Life is such a beautiful thing.
May you revel in the present of the present, always.
HaShem, the Name above all names,
Thank You for the beauty and the glory and the purpose in the "ordinary."
Thank You for showing us Your wonder in the seemingly ordinary.
Thank You for allowing it to train us up.
Your gifts are precious and virtually countless. Thank You for giving us the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the heart to get it; to receive the gifts, to stand in awe of them, and to give You thanks.
Thank You for this beautiful gift of life and for helping us to see and know and be present to Your wonders with each sunrise, each sunset, and all of the moments in between.
These things we pray in the most Holy Name of Your Son,
Amen.
"Rejoice at all times. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful..." ~ Colossians 4:2
"I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders." ~ Psalm 9:1
May the Good Lord bless you and keep you, friends... always, in all ways. Amen.
Bonus song of praise... ♥
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