Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Lately I’ve been getting a lot of what I call “God smiles”. I can be hustling through my day, oblivious to what is going on around me, when all of a sudden my eye catches a brilliant flash of color. When I stop to look, I find a single red hibiscus flower, or the beginning of a pink sunset, or the deep green of a roadside watermelon stand. It always makes me smile and a fresh wave of gratitude washes over me. What a beautiful world we live in! So many colors! At that moment I picture God smiling too. I think He is pleased when we enjoy our lives and appreciate His handiwork.
But how many people never see what’s all around them? How many people live in the gray — gray pavement, gray concrete buildings, gray skies, gray moods? We are such unfortunate creatures of habit that we’re not willing to break our routine long enough to really see our world.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
What if you decided to walk down a different city street on your way to work one day? You might pass a flower stand. But would you really “see” it? Our crowded thoughts block our ability to use our senses. You might walk by a neighborhood cafe where people are getting their morning caffeine fix, but would you actually smell the aroma of fresh brewed coffee? Or would you hurry by, lost in anxious agenda-building for your upcoming meeting?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
My father used to say, “Suzie, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses.” I would think, What roses? What is he talking about? I was so stressed at work I literally felt like a little rat running on a treadmill. I had no idea how to stop and besides, if I jumped off, I might get injured and so I kept running. I missed so much of life during that time.
It wasn’t until I retired that I was able to discover what Dad meant. Roses come in many colors and they have a fragrance that is meant to be inhaled and savored.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The very sights, sounds, tastes, and fragrances of this world are meant to be inhaled and savored. Don’t live in the gray! Don’t shut out the beauty that is on display right in front of you. Don’t think that somehow the worry and the striving, and the ladder-climbing will one day turn out to be more important. I assure you they will not. All that pressure and effort may land you in a hospital room — and your children, who have learned by watching you, may not think they have the time to stop and visit you. Why risk your health chasing after things that you’ll tire of in the end?
Stop and smell the roses — and the gardenias, and the jasmine. Slow down. Open your heart. Live the abundant life. and offer your thanks to God — before it’s too late.
The post Living in the gray appeared first on .