Read Psalm 86. God is amazing. There are many days when I look around and I am caught up in the beauty of everything around me. Yes, often we can drift away from seeing the beauty, and we notice the things of the world that are broken. We see the trash blowing down the highway. We see the cracks in the road. We see the pollution, the noise, the destruction. We see the broken-down buildings.
Certainly things are not how they are meant to be; however, it is in the moments when you stand still and just be, that you are able to look, to listen, to smell, to feel that which is around you. You take a breath in. You exhale. You find yourself in awe. So many things — all created by God. Things that are complex, changing, colorful, strange, interesting, amazing. Each day the sky is a new fresh painting. Each creature on earth is unique, different variations even with some similarities.
Have you ever taken a moment to appreciate the smell of the rain? I still remember when I was a little girl and my Grandpa taught me how to smell the rain, to know that it was approaching soon. Have you ever put your hand under a body of water and watched the water simply flow? Have you ever looked at your hand (yes, your hand), and noticed your fingerprints, the lines of your hand, the fine hairs, the cuticles, the way your fingers bend? Have you ever stood in your kitchen, opening up the spices in your cabinet to take the time to smell them, using your sense of smell to determine which spice would compliment your next meal?
I could spend all day asking you “have you ever” questions. Still I could never ask enough to cover it all. The truth is, our God, Creator of all, He has created everything around us, including you and I, and when we do not take the time to look, to appreciate, to learn, to touch, to enjoy, etc., we miss so much. When you look around at His creation, you will always get a glimpse of God. When you interact with that which is created, you do what each of us were meant to do in life. God gave us this awesome opportunity to create too — to take that which He created, to care for it and to build upon it for His glory.
Today, as you begin your day, take time to look around you and give thanks for His creation. Take time to worship God. He alone deserves all worship.
Lord, Creator of all, You alone are worthy of all praise. You are holy. You are wonderful. You are beautiful. Great is Your name. May all we say and do glorify You.
“All the nations You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.” – Psalm 86:9 [ESV]
Tania Gutekunst 