When the World Covers You Up

I’m having one of those weeks. It’s not a bad week. It’s just one of those weeks when I’m feeling covered up by the world. I’m doing, doing, doing and not a lot of being.

I’m reminded of a scene I stumbled across a couple of weekends ago while trying to keep up with my children at a local park. As I somewhat uncomfortably looked right and left for the boy child, who I had just lost sight of running from place to place, I turned back to the right and noticed light and calm. Shocked out of my own frantic pace to keep up, I noticed a friend of mine slowly swinging back and forth in an oversized wooden glider, hair shining in the fall sunlight as she and her son sat quietly, smiling, being. Just the sight allowed me a deep breath and a moment of balance. After a short hello, I was off again, smiling myself, to see what else my children had discovered at the park.

While considering how to pull myself out of this little funk of sorts this week, I remembered this simple moment at the park. It reminded me of how often God tries to get our attention when we are rushing through our days. We have so much to delight in each day; it’s unfortunate that we allow the world to seep in and halt that joyful connectedness to love and comfort. My guess is that similarly to my experience this week, there are days when the world just gets the best of you. You don’t feel necessarily unhappy, maybe you do, but you don’t feel elated or joyful or connected or centered.

We may be too busy too notice, but the love and support we need to get through those busy times is with us all the time. Just like that flash of light and noticing my friend enjoying that fall afternoon, God is sending us little love jolts ALL THE TIME. We’ve just got to notice them.

I wasn’t having a bad day at the park. I was out with my children and their friends, fulfilling a long promised play date. What I wasn’t doing was allowing myself to fully enjoy how God had created that special moment for me. I thought I had done it and to be honest, with that attitude, I wasn’t fully enjoying it. Acknowledging that God jolt enabled me to switch to a state of gratitude and connectedness, and I relaxed into the moment.

I encourage you to open yourself up to those God jolts as you move forward. I’m going to work on paying better attention to them, too.

Accept a kind word.

Rest.

Share a smile.

Be quiet.

Notice the colors in the sky.

Listen.

Consider a daily practice.

Read.

Watch the animals or children around you.

Unplug.

Look at the trees.

Stop.

Just breath.

Give yourself a timeout and pray.

Just notice, my friends. Even in your darkest moments, God is sending you out jolts of light. I promise, there are better moments to be experienced. Embrace them and know that you are loved.

With love and light,

LT