I had two people mention to me, after reading yesterday’s post about a leaky Coke can, that they didn’t understand how a spiritual lesson could be pulled from such an event. This is not the first time I’ve heard this, and it’s always delivered in a very complimentary way. I appreciate each thought very much, but this is not my “gift” alone.

You have it, too.

Really, you do.

I believe that we live this life, here on this planet, in preparation for what’s to come. For who’s to come. We were made to live and grow and develop a life that worships the One who made us, and I believe He made this earth, and the people on it, to support those activities. Our senses are there to allow us to experience life to the fullest extent, but oftentimes we seem to go on auto-pilot where they’re concerned, taking in the information they provide, but not analyzing it, or even paying attention to it. We’re too distracted with other things that require more concentration, or are simply and continually lost in thought.

What would happen, though, if you brought your attention to what your eyes were actually seeing? What if you looked around until you found where that strange sound or smell was coming from? What if you took time to actually consider the oddity of a mama duck and ducklings crossing a road in the middle of traffic, or a small child brushing a grandmother’s hair till it stood on end, all while sitting at an airport gate? What if, while you thought about these things, you tried to see God’s hand in each?

You’d see that those ducks were a picture of God protecting His children, in the midst of oncoming pain and trouble. That grandmother would be a snapshot of God’s pure, unadulterated delight in us, no matter what we’re doing, or how childish we may be. You’d discover how His creation is constantly pointing back to Him, and how all of it – nature and people, themselves – are here to learn and grow together in preparation and support of an eternity with their King.

Then you’d realize something else…

You’re a noticer.

Being a noticer helps us glean knowledge and understanding from our everyday lives and the world around us. It helps us stay focused on God all through the day, as we constantly look for His hand in everything, and it keeps us grounded here, now, in the only moment we are guaranteed.

I’m thankful for my ability, and yours, to stop, look and listen; to be noticers every second of our lives so we can wring every last drop of life out of them. I know that I, for one, don’t want to miss a thing!

“Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being.” Romans 1:20 MSG

“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” Proverbs 20:12 ESV

“Be generous with me and I’ll live a full life;
    not for a minute will I take my eyes off your road.
Open my eyes so I can see
    what you show me of your miracle-wonders.” Psalm 119:17 MSG

“God created everything through him,
    and nothing was created except through him.” John 1:3 NLT