Seeing the Little Things

Between cleaning and tidying and picking up matchbox cars and wiping dog paws I have come to the conclusion that selling your house is hard work! Stressful to say the least with plenty of time to play out scenarios in your head of all the "what if's". 

I get self consumed so easily and wrapped around the axle of this... this life of taking one last look through the house, grabbing a nervous boxer dog, a four year old and heading out the door to disappear for some stranger to come snoop through our house (I know they probably aren't snooping through our things, but it still feels a little vulnerable), and I wonder why I'm running a bit short on patience with all three of my boys.

This week I came across that same 3 x 5 card in my Bible that spoke to me back in November. God used it to get my attention once again. (hmm, maybe this is something I really need to grasp!) If you missed it the first time I will share it again...

Gratitude is the foremost quality of a believing disciple precisely because gratitude is what births trust... the true belief.   -Author Unknown  

Recognizing every little gift and thing that makes me smile in a day does one very important thing...

It takes the focus off of me!

In Donald Miller's Storyline productivity sheets he has a section to write down "things I get to enjoy today" and in Ann Voskamp's book 1000 gifts she talks about writing down every thing throughout the day that speaks to your heart and brings a smile to your face. 

I have done both of these exercises for a period of time in the past, and they do exactly what they are intended to do, they diffuse anxiety. Instead of focusing on all the things that could happen I'm noticing all the things that are actually happening right in front of me. Little things that are really easy to overlook or brush off as nothing. But when I take the time to write them down, it puts a certain kind of importance on them and helps me to see that God is here right beside me. Funny how that works, when I acknowledge God's presence suddenly I'm not so afraid. My eyes come off of myself and I am able to look up, further out than an arm's length away. I feel as if I can take a deep breathe.

When I opened my eyes and looked for God in anticipation this is what  I saw...

1. The smell of beach air and the ocean...oh, the ocean!
2. Dozer running at lightning speed on our early morning walk
3. Coffee and cookies for breakfast
4. Family time to reconnect
5. Cousins playing in the sand
   
6. A quiet morning to contemplate and refocus
7. Cuddled up boxer next to me on the couch
8. A little boy that is being sweet and nice today
9. A spot opening up for the class I really wanted
10. A chocolate cupcake
11. The rain (yes, I do like it) 
12. Going for a walk without pain in my knee
13. Rogan writing his name all by himself
14. Homemade creamsicles on a sore throat
15. The smell of fresh cut grass

I need this.

I need to be totally and completely focused on all that God is doing around me. To open my eyes and see Him in every part of my day. Because if I don't look for Him, I will be weighed down, defeated, and anxious. 

That is not the life God has called me to. 

Whatever you may be facing today, whether it be crushed dreams, hopelessness, loss, or just the inconvenience of selling a house; I pray that God would show you something today to make you crack a little smile.


(This picture right here, just so happens to be one of those things that fill me back up. Crazy to some, but that's why God speaks to us all different I suppose.)