I am currently involved in a few writing projects. One of them is a devotional book I wrote several years ago. The title is: Growing Down: The Secrets To Becoming Like A Child In A Very Grown Up World. I am in the process of getting this book ready for publication into the e-book world (Nook, Kindle, etc) and I thought I'd include a chapter here to whet the appetite of my potential audience and get some feedback. So, here it is! Feel free to leave me a message here on the post or just a comment or message on Facebook.
Enjoy!
Chapter Three: Children Appreciate The Little Things In Life
When is the last time you stopped and smelled the roses? If you close your eyes, can you imagine a rose? What color is it? What do the petals look like? Is it in full bloom? Is it a long-stemmed rose or a sweetheart rose? Does it have thorns? Leaves? Is it in a vase? Did it come from a store or from your garden?
If you’re like most people, you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a rose.” That’s because you’re not yet thinking like a child. Children notice and appreciate the little things in life.
I used to live only a few blocks from my parents’ house. Back then, it took us three minutes to get there by car. My husband’s long legs could get him there in ten minutes and my short ones could carry me there in fifteen. I can remember shortly after Cassidy’s second birthday, we decided that it would be fun to take a walk to Grandma’s house. The two of us were home alone and I thought, why not? We donned our jackets, I grabbed my purse and the diaper bag, and out the door we went.
Those fifteen minutes stretched into twenty, then thirty, then forty-five...their house wasn’t even in sight yet! It wasn’t completely because Cassidy had legs that were much shorter than mine. Sure, it took her longer to walk places, but the reason it took us almost an hour to get to Grandma’s house was because Cassidy kept stopping to admire the beauty of the creation that was all around her.
She marveled at the sticks she found. She picked up each one and carried it with her. In her other hand, she was gaining a sizeable collection of rocks. Before long, both of my pockets were full of rocks, and both of my hands were full of sticks. That way, Cassidy could concentrate on picking “flowers” (dandelions) for Grandma.
She stopped to pet a dog.
She stopped to admire a bright blue pick-up truck.
She sat and watched the water of a fountain as it traced crazy designs in the air.
She chased a squirrel.
She ran through a sprinkler.
She peered into a store window.
My daughter was enjoying the little things in her life. She was appreciating everything that was around her, not taking advantage of anything.
Sure, we both had handfuls of sticks and pockets full of rocks. The dandelions were staining her hands green and yellow. Yet, through all of this, Cassidy was blessed.
Applying This Principle To Your Life
We’ve talked about living a fun-filled life. If you’ve put that principle into action, you have no doubt noticed a change in yourself. Have you noticed any blessings?
As humans, we tend to notice the big blessings but we overlook the small ones. This is unfortunate because we have a great-big God who loves to work in big and in small ways to achieve great-big results. We tend to send our prayers to heaven much like we order fast food. And then we expect fast food-type answers. God doesn’t work that way. God is weaving an intricate pattern into your life that cannot be achieved through short cuts.
God doesn’t put tiny blessings into our lives so that we will ignore them while we wait for the big blessings. We have conditioned ourselves that “bigger is better”. This isn’t the case with God. It is God’s style to choose the underdog to fulfill his plans. He chose one man (Abraham) to build an entire race of people! And then, he called that entire race his chosen ones.
A day does not go by in your life when God does not bless you. Sometimes we miss blessings because we already have in mind what we think God is going to do for us. And then, when God chooses another way to bless us, we may miss it entirely or even become angry at God for not doing it our way.
What are some blessings God has given you today?
I’m blessed...
When my two-year-old son smiles at me.
When my husband pours my coffee in the morning.
When the laundry is done.
When my best friend calls just to chat.
When I get somewhere on time.
When Cassidy does the dishes.
When Matthew leads our family prayer time before we eat dinner.
Sure, there are big blessings. Like, when the budget balances. Or when God heals someone of an illness. We should definitely notice those and give praise to the God who made them possible. But when we ignore the small blessings, we’re missing a major part of what God has in store for us.
God is there when...
The rain holds off until you make it to your car.
A friend happens to stop by on the night you really need help getting the kids ready for bed.
A loved one is thinking of you and whispers your name in prayer.
You get “lost” when you’re driving, only to find out you’ve actually found a better way.
God wants to permeate every part of our lives. Oh, how important it is for us to let him fill our lives with his love and to notice those small blessings.
I can’t help but think back to the look that was on my mother’s face when Cassidy presented her with that big bouquet of dandelions. The joy I saw there reminded me of the joy that our Heavenly Father must feel when we notice his blessings blooming throughout our lives.
I think I’ll go out and pick some flowers with my daughter.
“How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)
