I had a stop and smell the roses moment this week. After a rushed morning getting out the door and dropping my husband off at work, I realized we were out of coffee creamer. As I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, I felt the God nudge. Do you know the one I’m talking about? It felt like the coming up from air while swimming feeling–that fresh moment of clarity where God wanted my attention. I decided to take notice of what was happening around me. To not be annoyed I ran out of the creamer but instead find God in the midst of what I conceived as my mundane morning.
As I loaded my baby into his stroller and headed in for my one item, I noticed all the flowers outside. Quite literally, I stopped to peek at and smell the roses. But more than anything, I found the joy of slowing down and hearing from God in this moment.
Slowing down steadies us
It’s in the slowing down that we truly begin to see what is in front of us. I could have rushed down the aisles, all the way to the milk section. But I would have missed the experience of enjoying the morning sun shining down, the HEB employee watering the plants, and the quiet parking lot.
I believe that when we see what’s in front of us, we discover joy, gratitude, and God’s presence. If our life primarily consists of rushing around, doing thing to thing, we miss God standing right in front of us. My slowing down altered the course of my day. I moved with more peace, more trust, and awareness of myself and those around me. I wasn’t huffy and irritable about all that I “had” to do. Instead, I thanked God for all that I got to do.