August 10, 2015

Small Wonders Are Oh So Easy to Miss, So Look Closely With Eyes Wide Open!

We know this, right

I mean - the bigger wonders... the signs and miracles and dramatic immediate answers to prayers... those we can spot from a mile away and we shout them from the mountain tops! And we should... oh how we should! Shout them out at the top of your breath and let praises ring loud and clear... bring glory to God in the ways He is showing up and showing off... Yes. That.

But also this: I am finding that it's so often those small wonders... the everyday ways that God bestows beauty and grace that add up and shower down and oh how we can miss them if we are not training our eyes to seek and to find!



Life is busy and this world spins on the edge of chaos for many of us. It is easy to miss all the ways He is pointing us back to Him... all the ways He is offering faith, hope, and love to bring back a bit of balance and order. He holds out His hand to stop the dizzy overwhelmed days that string together one after another after another and keeps them from overtaking us!



Sometimes, it just takes intentionally s-l-o-w-i-n-g  d-o-w-n... and sometimes it takes a shift in perspective and a willingness to see

Always - it takes a choice. We get to choose whether or not we will slow and see... whether or not we will shift and search... 

I shared last week how I had grabbed my camera and found so many wonders both big and small.  Many of them were flowers (because, of course! Easy Peasy, right?)  

Among the roses, yellow roses are my favorite. My rose bush bloomed like crazy earlier and then, thanks to all those triple digit days in a row, seemed to be done. However, it's gotten a second wind or a second summer and even though some of it looks dry and thirsty, and a little tired - new blooms are opening wide and it is blossoming yet again... the persistence of yellow and a perfume that is intoxicating if you simply slow your steps and inhale deep, even just passing by.

But I-- I stop and lean in close. I frame my shot and I am pleased. Beauty and Grace is captured even when the heavenly fragrance can't be. Small Wonders... gifts from Him to me that I could have just as easily walked right by.  Layers and layers, like petals, of blessings surround us all and He promises us that we will find whatever we are searching for.


I smell the flowers and look again at the photo as a smile spreads wide across my face. He is both here in the garden, and there in the picture and this makes me silly happy. Such a gift... and I will grab hold of this blessing and tuck it away as I move on.

He whispers it soft,
"Change your perspective... to bend and not break... to look upward to the sky from where your help comes from!" 
But honestly, my bossy list bosses me and I am already running late.

Next time, I think.  

Next time I find myself looking for wonder amidst a garden, I will shift and I will search...


And thank goodness I remember! I am in a garden, all in awe of wonders and I remember to bend and I see how they shout their praises to God.  I keep searching for new ways to see...


And there it is... 
There He is! 

As I bend and not break, I see in a new way and I I-spy the uniqueness of flowers that I walk passed all the time but I have never really seen them. Not like this... not from this angle or that angle.

A change in perspective can shed light on all kinds of beauty if we will but take the time.

Small wonders... small shifts... little ways that He comes to us and offers beauty and blessings. Lord, open my eyes.

***

I used to be fearful of bees. As in, even though I knew it was wrong, I would take flight... jerk and shift and run away. Wisdom told me to stand still... experience told me that they were more interested in the flowers than my perfume, and yet... I would flee.

There is a gift in searching for the small and leaning in to a bit of fear.  I decided awhile back to listen to wisdom and learn to trust. I now look for the bees and I love how detailed they are -  the fur and the translucent wings... these are things that I would have never counted as gifts when I was letting fear chase me away. I see their beauty now and it's amazing how that alone can chase away the fear.




I have come to enjoy watching them flutter about. They allow themselves to be led and they are secure in what they are doing... They may get distracted from time to time and they are for sure busy (-bees. Ya see what I did there?) But they are focused and at work, letting the wind give hints on where to go next. 

They move from flower to flower, buzzing about, doing exactly what they are created to do. They are so good at being bees! 

And I pray that that can be said of us... that we are so good at being us

It takes practice, it takes leaning in, it takes being led by the Wind, and it takes looking closely with eyes wide open to seek and to find. 

What small (or big) wonders are you finding lately? I'd love to hear!



P.S.  I'm linking up with these lovely writers:

The Community over at #SmallWonders 

Laura Boggess over at #ChasingTheBlueFlower
Holly Barrett for #TestimonyTuesday

20 comments :

  1. Karrilee,
    I agree wholeheartedly Sis. One of the three pillars of my personal ministry is "Embracing The Now Moment". And one way I do so is by taking pictures. Slowing down, observing nature, framing the shot waiting a bit, they all center you smack dab in the moment and heighten your awareness of all that's present before you. I often say, "All beauty, majesty, and splendor abound in THIS moment."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love that! It reminded me of something I heard Eric Johnson say the other day - something about how photo's stop and capture the moment, of how they stop the speed of light with the speed of aperature. From one photographer to another, I thought you would enjoy that too! Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Delete
  2. Oh friend yes! We put so much fear in life but when we put away the fear, there is so much beauty all around us. And yellow roses are my fave too!!! It keeps amazing me how kindred we are. So much THIS friend: "And I pray that that can be said of us... that we are so good at being us! It takes practice, it takes leaning in, it takes being led by the Wind, and it takes looking closely with eyes wide open to seek and to find." It indeed takes practice and leaning in. Love you friend!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't that funny - and so God - that we keep finding things we have in common!? I mean - I love all varieties of Roses - but there is something about a yellow rose that just makes me happy! Love you right back!

      Delete
  3. Nearly quit on this blogging adventure, but then a prompt brought me back. But I was tired and stressed and not having fun so the break was needed, probably a few weeks before I actually took it. Now to come back slow, but steady. I missed reading everyone's blog and being connected. It so nice to be home. This is the second thing I have read about slowing down. God must be trying to tell me something. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I saw that you came back! I had noticed that you were gone and I just figured... well, life! (especially life with littles!) but it was so nice to see you back at it! Yes - come back slow... but the community here is such a blessing! I think God is saying something to ALL of us about slowing down! Being in a hurry never helps... it's just so easy to forget that! :) Welcome back, friend!

      Delete
  4. Yes, this, "Always - it takes a choice. We get to choose whether or not we will slow and see... whether or not we will shift and search." Glad to be neighbors at the #RaRaLinkup, Karrilee. :-) Oh how I need to slow, thank you for this. Thank you for reminding me that it's a choice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it just so easy for us to forget that it is a choice? Because - at least for me, it doesn't always feel like it! So glad you stopped by, friend!

      Delete
  5. I love taking pictures like these too. I chased a butterfly around the other day trying to get the perfect shot. ;) Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah yes... chasing butterflies! I have been known to do that myself! ;) This summer it's the return of dragonflies that has me catching my breath - but I haven't managed to even get an imperfect shot! So glad you stopped by Mary!

      Delete
  6. "It takes a choice" - that it does! One that is often so difficult for me to make. But God is teaching me to slow and see and I'm so glad that He is. This is a particularly busy season, but He often encourages me to just take a break instead of my usual habit of pushing through. Thanks for the continued encouragement to see Him all around me. Blessings, friend. #testimonytuesday

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah yes - the pushing through habit! It's tough not to do that - especially when you have become so good at it! But it turns out sometimes NOT pushing through saves us from hitting head on into that wall! ;) Slowing down with you, friend! Thanks for popping over for a visit!

      Delete
  7. Beautiful pics. Beautiful post. So glad I stopped in from the Ra Ra Link Up to be encouraged here today. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Renee! I am glad you stopped by as well! Here's to a bit of Slowing Down and seeking out... of tasting and seeing that He is good!

      Delete
  8. You certainly did find some beauty! Sometimes, when I feel stuck, this is what I do--grab the camera and look through the lens. It's amazing how it opens my eyes. And what an unusual-looking bee you found! That little guy sure is cute.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't he adorable? I am only recently no longer a runner, so I don't know my bees but I love his wings and how fuzzy he was! It's amazing how much clearer we can see beauty when we are capturing it from behind a lens, yes? Love you, friend! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  9. Beautiful shots, Karilee! And great reminders about changing perspective and seeing all the ways He's wooing us - even your words and the charge to see the small things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's amazing how much a tiny shift in perspective can cause a huge shift in our thinking! Thanks so much for stopping and slowing... and seeking out small wonders with me!

      Delete
  10. Can I take camera lessons from you? xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! Well, I am all self taught myself and still just mostly guess! ;) I'm sure there are more qualified people to give lessons, but thank you, my friend! You are too sweet!

      Delete

Thanks so much for stopping by! I always love to hear your thoughts! Remember to: Speak Life - Be Love - Shine On!
~Karrilee~

Blog Archive