Wonder slows time and inspires praise. The checklists can wait.
Written by Ulla Mia
I’m always on the go, making sure each item on my to-do list gets checked off. It can feel as if every day is just a box full of tasks to complete. I’m always trying my best not to fall behind—though I’m often unsuccessful.
I was so caught up in this routine of day-to-day life that I failed to stop and ponder how amazing God really is. And I decided to change that. I realized just how much I’d started to take our God for granted, losing sight of His power and awe-striking glory. So I started to make observation my daily practice.
Think about it! On this planet alone, so many different kingdoms exist. These worlds live alongside each other like adjacent fairy tales in a book full of stories of hope and power. For example, under the seas there’s an entire world of fish and so much more. The ocean kingdom is so vast and deep that we have yet to fully explore it. Yet this world is fully sustained by a Creator of love and power who grants life to what He gave existence. The oceans are set apart from us in their own domain and yet we are able to explore them.
In the jungles, the kingdom of the wild operates in its own law and order, still under the finger of the Almighty who loves His creation. The insects and bugs all around us build empires right under our noses, yet these tiny empires are completely unattainable for us! And on it goes. Humans have yet to discover the end to these worlds—on either the micro or the macro level.
My practice of daily observation has been transformational. As I walk home from work, I watch the ants carrying materials for their homes or I see beetles mating as summer nears its end. I watch dogs at play and cats resting in their front yards. I start to notice life in all creation around me. As the leaves begin to change colour and fall in their season, and flowers bloom only to wilt away, I find myself thinking, How amazing is all this?
There are so many things I never took the time to notice before. I got so caught up in the craziness of daily life that I never paused to observe or ponder creation. But when you take a step back for a few moments and intentionally focus on the little aspects of the world around you, it has the power to change your entire perspective on how you see daily life.
Step away from the busyness of your daily lives. Just for a few moments. It’s okay. The to-do lists won’t go anywhere.
Observe the stars who sing praises too far away for us to hear. Or the little critters that hide in our lawns, building pathways and homes underground where we cannot see.
Feel how the wind blows by us, unseen but powerful. And think about the fact that all of this and so much more is within the hand of an all-powerful God who loves us and who created all of it. He is sovereign over every breath we draw and over every moment we live.
And yet, He makes Himself so available for us, to draw close to us and have a personal relationship with us. The Creator who sustains all of life—whether we notice it or fail to notice it—is present and cares deeply for all that happens on this earth He created. Reflecting on this has tugged my attention away from my checklists and busy routine. And I can say that stopping to consider how vast this creation really is completely took my breath away!