I stepped outside unprepared for the warm embrace I would feel. The moment I stepped into the sun, a smile fell upon my face. I began to admire the bright sun beating down on me and the beautiful day I had yet to experience, so, I thanked God for the new day ahead of me. Without much of an agenda, I continued to my destination as requested from a phone call that morning. The events ahead of me lead the following thoughts.
On a particular evening, I sat down in Rivertown Coffee Company eating a delicious grilled cheese with a fruit cup and a sweet tea. It was served to me on a golden yellow glass plate, that made me smile. I admired the presentation. I ate in delight observing the quirky brewery, observing my surroundings, wondering what each person was like, what they might be thinking. I opened my journal, Bible, and a good read, Discipline: the Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot with a heart of gratitude beginning to write. I wrote this statement amidst my entry that day, “Sometimes the day goes by so fast, but when I sit and think there is something beautiful in each day.”
Prior events to my Rivertown experience confirmed such a true statement for me. If we stop, just stop, we will find beautiful happenings amid the chaos around us. In every day from waking up, to setting foot outside in the warm sun, to going to and from work, I often notice little things that give me hope that there is still good things in the world. At this point, I cannot really tell you where or when I began noticing such events. I can tell you that I have grown to appreciate each moment. I hope that you will understand and begin looking for such moments in your life to share with the rest of the world. “There are beautiful things that need to be told…There are wonderful, wonderful things that need to be shared with humanity because, because it’s a gift, ” said Phylicia Rashad, phenomenal actress and The Cosby Show’s, Clair Huxtable, said to her fellow actresses in a discussion on Oprah’s Next Chapter. I am here to share such beautiful things.
I guess I began looking for “good news” as tragic headlines awakened my heart to the issues of the world an within myself. The search truly began when an African American young man begged an elderly lady in a scooter to let him carry her bags. She pleaded with him expressing her concern that he might get wet in the rain and ruin his clothes. The young man with a stern determination conveyed that his clothes would be fine still pleading with her to allow him to carry her bags as it was too far a scoot to carry such bags on her own. I cannot tell you the smiles this action brought to the persons standing in the check-out line. Me?
This young man’s actions wade so heavily on my mind that day that I posted on Facebook, “A young man pleads to a customer to let him carry her purchases. He didn't care if he was going to get rained on and he didn't care how far he had to walk with those bags. No one asked him to, this was what he wanted to do...That touched my heart. Shout out to the young men with hearts of kindness like I saw today. Pay it forward.”
So many of us are convinced that the world is dying with a series of tragic events sending a jolting stab in to the heart of this nation. ‘The world is so evil?’ we might think. “The world is coming to an end,” we declare. If you’re like me, you fuss about time and feeling like you don’t have enough of such an immeasurable concept. God is very much alive today-God is not dead, we know. I believe one of the greatest notions about God is His time because it is eternal, unconceivable by man. He gives us time as a possession. He gives us gifts each day to enjoy that are perfect (1ST James 1:17). In every season of our lives there is time for everything, as I am sure you have heard. God makes everything beautiful in His timing and I believe this with all my heart. In “Discipline: The Glad Surrender,” Elisabeth Elliot writes, “He will give us everything in the world that is good for us, that is, everything that can possibly help us to be and do what He wants.” Discipline in this area of life (time) and possessing it is critical. Personally, I have come to pray, as Mrs. Elliot has conveyed in her book, that “[my] list [must] be reviewed daily with the Lord asking Him to delete whatever is not on His list for [me], so that before [I] go to bed it will be possible to say, ‘I have finished the work You gave me to do’.” I can think of many ways where I have not appreciated God’s timing and judgement that His “perfect gifts” will be given accordingly. I always end up repenting for choosing my own agenda over His. I am so grateful that in these last few days I have fallen in love with so many beautiful moments.
I believe part of the beautiful moments we miss are in peace, quiet, and in adventure. Why not stop and be interrupted by the unexpected, the stillness in every day? In such moments, we will find things to enjoy. The butterfly on the flowers, children playing near the fountain, laughter, unspoken words, beautiful thoughts, beautiful people…I care about the beautiful pictures of our society. Even the ones that may not seem as appealing to us, such as the present matters of our time. As the weeks have progressed I have looked into these temporary moments as a means of examining my own heart. We have a greater hope to look forward to - eternity. Enjoy the temporary today.
Let me ask you, what beautiful moments, beautiful things have you shared lately? I am sure you have found joy in something today? Please, do tell?
