Lately, I have been really busy. You know that kind of busy where you feel like you can barely keep your head above water?
The school year starting. New projects at work. Three kids. Life.
I realized that I needed to slow down. I needed to breathe. I needed a change.
Most of my work deadlines couldn’t be changed. But what could change was my perspective. I was too hurried to take in the beauty around me. I needed to get intentional.
It started out pretty innocently. I saw a blooming tree and I snapped a picture of it. Then I saw the most incredible sunset, and I just stopped, watching the clouds roll by.
My daughter played happily in the lake, and I took a photo, wanting to never forget her joy.
On my way to work I saw a row of trees, full of lush green leaves, with a white picket fence behind them. I was driving, so no picture, but I smiled.
Now it has become a daily adventure. What will I discover? Where is the beauty today?
The answer? Everywhere.
Beauty in nature. Beauty in people. Beauty in vulnerability. Beauty in the mess of every day.
Sometimes I take out my phone and snap a picture, wanting a tangible reminder of what I found that day. Other days, I simply acknowledge the beauty and continue about my day.
The act of acknowledgement is powerful and life-changing.
It’s all a wonder. It’s all a gift. Taking the time to take in the ordinary wonderful has been an important reminder to me that life is meant to be savored.
While work and deadlines are important, they don’t need to be soul-draining. They too can be life-giving if my perspective is one of beauty.
The beauty in the world.
The beauty in the opportunities.
The beauty in the growth that happens because of the work.
Scripture says that God has made everything beautiful. Seeing life through that lens is profound and life-giving.
May we all appreciate the beauty this world has to offer. And as we take it in, may our lives overflow with beauty to those around us.
What is the beauty you can find in your every day? Share what you have seen in your life today, that others will be encouraged too.
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Jessica,
I have tried to live much more intentionally. I am forever taking pictures of flowers…flowers in my yard, on my walks, in gardens. Why? It just amazes me how intricate and beautiful they are. There must be millions of different varieties and in so many amazing hues and colors. I acknowledge that only an awesomely creative God could have done all this. No two alike…and He took this much care just with flowers. What about birds, and fish, and animals, and landscapes? All for our good pleasure – to delight us because He loves us so. It just blows me away sometimes. The least I can do, I find, is to intentionally stop and recognize His handiwork. Great post!
Blessings,
Bev
Yes, yes, yes! And I agree with Bev too. I have also been struck by the variety of hues even in the trees and grass – green alone cannot describe them. Moss green, kelly green, forest green just scratch the surface. My son laughs at all my cloud pictures, says I need to join a cloud support group, but they are amazingly beautiful even when they’re angry. Just this weekend I was thinking about all the writing I needed to do, but I carved out an hour to meet a friend for breakfast in the local park and drink in the beauty all around us. Sights, smells, and of course sounds like the laughter of a friend. It’s all good and precious.
Wonderful statement! “Beauty in the mess of every day” can I use it? Thank you for reminding me I don’t always need a change of scenery, I need to see what is in front of me that is beautiful!
Here lately, I have been so distracted by deadlines and my to do list, that I haven’t stopped long enough to see the beauty. I have allowed muskeg to be so consumed that when my children ask something of me, it feels like an interruption and a burden. This post reminds me of where my priorities really need to be. Jesus always made time for the children, and I need to follow His example. I need to stop and soak in the beauty of His creation… Nature and humans alike. Thank you for this much needed reminder.
Love this! I was having a very similar experience in my own journey. I was reminded this morning, “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” It’s so easy to get caught up in the worries and craziness of life and to forget to enjoy the beauty that God has provided for us each day. For me it really is a continued less of trust. When I am trusting God, I can let the worries go and I can take notice of all that God has given me in each moment. Thanks for a great post and confirmation!!!
This post is special, thank-you Jessica.
Each day I am awed by God’s special touch and how breathtaking it is. But most recently I have viewed three deer walking up the street, a mink sitting along the shoreline, an owl resting, the night sky brimming with stars, a sea otter hanging out, a white gourd mixed in with ripening tomatoes, eagles along with a variety of other birds and vanishing falls. The darling hummingbirds darting through the rose garden and ripened black berries mixed in the green belt. These are just some of the things that remind me of how fortunate I am to experience the beauty of His work.
Penny
Beautiful! That is all I can say…just beautiful. And such a timely reminder. Thank you, Jessica!
Lovely, when I stop long enough, just our yard with the trees, flowers, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, blue sky, are beautiful sights and sounds and a refuge. My children are beautiful. I have taken it so for granted, I hadn’t really been seeing this beauty anymore as I could. So true one of the readers committed don’t need a change of scenery,. I just need a change in perspective with new eyes opened to see what God has given me.
On a different note but the same note, I am in awe of colors. I had a cataract removed, a thick one, and even having one removed am realizing I saw everything with a yellowish-brownish haze for a long time and didn’t know it. I still need to have the other cataract removed to see properly, but the colors are so vibrant! I don’t remember the vibrancy and the nuances in color. Just want to soak it all in.
Jessica, this is timely to notice the beauty right here, in front of us.
We are gearing up for a new year with the added 5th baby in tow. God is giving me great joy in watching my dating aged son love on my diaper aged baby boy. I knew this adventure would be super special but I am up to my eyeballs in treasuring moments these days. Before I had to look, today its around my every corner! Thanks for the reminders 🙂
I love this, Jessica. I don’t have a busy schedule like you have, but I do have a mind busyness and a tendency to dwell on problems instead of finding and focusing on those moments of beauty. Someone once wrote they call these moments of beauty “joy drops.” So I’m trying to look for these. 🙂 And they are everywhere if only I look for them. I love the picture of your daughter. Cherish every moment as they grow up entirely too quickly. 🙂
There is beauty in the mess and chaos that is every day, too. When you come out and see the board books your toddler has strewn from the entry way to the kitchen. There is a beauty in watching your husband drive your older kids to school in the morning. There is beauty in the simple task of walking to the mailbox in this awful, Northern California heat, when you look up at the way the afternoon sun hits the leaves that are already turning into Fall. I forgot to thank God for showing me that beauty in the mundane. Thanks for the reminder to be thankful and to slow down and appreciate it all.
Beautiful i found in my Bible..in Jesus heart, in His grace on me, in his kindness, in His mercy…we have a lots of reasons to be thankfull..
Thank you for this beautiful reminder that God is in the details, as I was already feeling the anxiety of summer ending and the anticipation of a busy school year. I love your idea of changing my perspective – it’s about the journey – dancing in the rain rather than waiting for the storm to pass. Thank you!
Lorna
I have a moonflower vine that grows just outside my sunroom. I’ve been checking it regularly because the blooms open at night and they are amazingly beautiful! Bright white and as big as your hand with a faint sweet scent. Imagine my disappointment when I opened the curtain one morning to see that I had missed one. I forgot to look the night before and all that was left was the closed, wilted flower. You are so right, Jessica. We must be intentional in looking for the beauty that is provided for us by our loving Creator just for the seeing.
Jessica,
I have been like you for about 1.5 years. Life was full of stresses. Work was busy& changing, aging dad had multiple medical issues. It felt like I was on a hamster wheel just waiting for the next shoe to drop. Didn’t know when phone rang if dad needed something–that took its toll on my personality and work! I was so stressed out that I didn’t notice life and my attitude was sour. Now that I’ve been able to slow down some I’m noticing flowers, sunsets, sunrises, animals. I love seeing mountains around me and the clouds hanging on them, and the beauty of fall colors.
Thanks for a great post! Blessings 🙂