By Rev. Janet Stobie
Once again, it seems that much of our life comes down to the choices we make. One morning I was watching the birds at our feeders. Suddenly, the tiny birds disappeared. In flew the grackles and crows. Greedily, they gobbled up the seed. I was sure the seed levels dropped as I watched.
As I complained in my mind, my heart reminded me of the night before. Eighteen-month-old Lana had disappeared down the hall. I came rushing to find her. I stopped at the door-way to my office. This tiny child was standing stock still, staring. Her expression one of awe. My eyes shifted to the window. A grackle had landed on a feeder. Lana was entranced. The bird’s head shimmered green as its feathers reflected the setting sun. Without the window, we might have reached out and touched it. So wild, so beautiful. What a privilege to watch it. It turned its head and stared at us. I felt as if it looked me in the eye, nodded a thank you, then flew off.
A few minutes later, big brother Riley, age six, bounded in through the sliding kitchen doors. “GiGi! GiGi”, he called. “Look.” He held up his dad’s phone. “See my picture.” On the screen, a tiny chipmunk sat up and stared at us. “I was so close,” Riley said. “Almost able to touch him.” Once again, I experienced his wonder. Suddenly, the facts that the grackles gobbled our birdseed or the chipmunks ate the buds off the roses, or the rabbits nibbled the flowers, didn’t matter. My aching back receded. My frustration with aging disappeared. I basked in the light of the joy and wonder of my great-grand-children, and my love for them.
Jesus commanded us to carry God’s light. We complain, find fault, moan about things. Being negative comes so easily, and God gives us so much. My birth mother used to say, “If you can’t change it, then accept it and walk through it.” There is so much about life that we have to accept, particularly as we age. It’s a rough journey, yet Jesus said, “I will be with you always.” God doesn’t promise to fix everything, smooth out all the bumps in the road. The promise is that God will be with us.
God’s love offers us so much. Children remind us to stand in awe at the wondrous beauty of nature. A cashier smiles, and the wait doesn’t seem quite as long. A friend or our minister calls just to say hello. We laugh at the antics of our pets, and so much more. We can close our minds and hearts to the goodness God brings us and focus on the negatives – Or – we can see, really see, hear, really hear, and soak in the wonder and awe of the people, animals, and world around us.
I choose awe as often as possible. I recommend you do the same.
For more Reflections, https://www.janetstobie.com/