Unwrap the Gifts in Everyday Moments

One of my two-year-old’s favorite words is one that I need to say more often: “thank you.” He repeats it over and over until I acknowledge him with a simple response, delighted to hear me say it. How many times have I opened my hands to receive but never bothered to stop in a moment of appreciation? A “thank you” for all the gifts that surround me?

Thousands of blessings envelop me everywhere I look, but I hurry through the day, eager to check the next item off my to-do list. And then I wonder why I’m tired, why I’m empty, why I have nothing left to give back.

A week ago, an author challenged me to a new experiment. To record the gifts I already have. And though I’m still trying to feel my way through the fog and recognize what’s been in front of me all along, I am determined to continue.

The more I look, the more I see it. God reaching out His hand and touching earth through the minute details I missed for most of my life.

I don’t want to keep pushing through my days with blinders on. Because life is not a race. It is a journey with many twists and turns and stops along the way.

When we are blind to the gifts God gives us each day, we miss the very essence of life.

Each gift God gives is meant to be unwrapped, savored, and most of all: appreciated. To be ungrateful is to be careless, reckless.

God, help me to slow down. Help me to breathe and embrace the goodness of each day. An iris in bloom. The warmth of the sun on my face. An unabashed, mischievous laugh. All of these things, Lord.

All of these things draw me into your very presence. And I lift my hands in awe of you each time I toss the paper aside and uncover another moment, another miracle, the evidence of your love.

 

This post was written for Five Minute Friday. A beautiful group of writers who meet each week over at Lisa-Jo Baker’s blog to encourage, inspire and learn to let go. Writing about one word for five minutes flat. Today’s word was: hands. Click the button below to learn more.