Glimpses

"And I awoke in the house of God."

Those words, rather than coming from the mouth of one who fell asleep in church and awoke at the sound of his inadvertent snore, belong to the late Rich Mullins.  They serve as a portion of his lyrics to the song, "The Color Green."  Mullins, an appreciator of God's nature, intentionally dedicated time to noticing - to paying attention - to the majesty of the Ordinary.  The rain that falls.  The winter wheat.  The hollow of the oak.  The wrens. 

Long before Mullins, another musician likewise took time to ponder.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
    Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
    my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may have her young—
    a place near your altar,
    Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
    they are ever praising you.
Psalm 84:1-4 (NIV)

The psalmist, noticing the sparrow and the swallow, longs to dwell with God.  People of God long to dwell with Him; they also long to see Him.  God, knowing our longings, offers glimpses of glory divine.  We can delight in those glimpses when we dedicate time to noticing.Those who commit to living their Ordinary lives to the glory of God do well to notice. 

What can we notice when we pay attention?  Just over the past few days I have noticed . . .

• the sun setting and coloring the sky
• an eagle riding the wind
• a moose calmly making his way
• the beauty of voices in our singing to Almighty God
• the sound of children's laughter
• the clear way in which God communicates through His Word
• the taste of fresh fruit
• the smell of baking bread
• the pristine white of snow
• the mysterious complexity of the house of God

What do you notice?

#ordinarylives