The pace of daily living seems to get faster and faster. Everything is on the urgent pile; it should have been completed yesterday. Our expectations of acquiring and accessing things has vastly sped up. If we want something, we buy it right away. If we want to find out about absolutely anything, it’s simply a click and seconds away on our mobile phones or laptops. Heaven forbid if the Wi-Fi isn’t working…my teenager has a meltdown!
During busy times, I often amuse myself by imagining I’m zoomed up above earth looking down on humanity milling around like ants on a mission rushing here there and everywhere. Can you imagine what we must look like rushing around? It must be hilarious. And for what? Most of the time, what we put in the urgent pile, isn’t really urgent. In fact, if it’s never done, it won’t stop the rest of the ants milling around on their missions, the world will keep spinning.
That picture often helps me put things into perspective. It’s so easy to live life rushing around from one thing to another. The danger is, whilst we zoom around here there and everywhere, we miss so much of the beauty and wonder around us. The trees, flowers, our surroundings, people in our lives, the many blessings we have.
I love all seasons, each brings its own splendour but there’s something quite unique about spring. My drive in to work this morning reminded me it was spring. Bright yellow daffodils lined both sides of the road. Trees laden with pink blossom awakened my senses and before I realised, my memories rocketed me back in time to my childhood days. I was standing on the school field holding a bough laden with scrunched up pink tissue paper delicately crafted and carefully attached to the bough by my Mum, made to look just like a tree branch full of pink blossom.
I could hardly keep my eyes open as the sun shone ahead of me. English folk music was playing from the loud speakers as me and my school buddies stood tall with beaming smiles from ear to ear, proudly holding our boughs full of scrunched up tissue paper blossom. It was the May Day festival and we all waited excitedly as the May Queen was carried through in her carriage laden with flowers and more blossom.
It wasn’t long before I arrived at work and returned to the present. Going back in time to that memory energised me. Life is so fast paced; we are so quick to move to the next thing that we often don’t appreciate all the wonders around us. Pausing for a moment, looking around, taking it all in, allowing ourselves time to re-live some of those memories that make us smile, reminds us of the blessings we had and continue to have. Blessings which are like the trees laden with blossom. Some small, some big… but rush around and you might miss the awe and wonder around you. Even God Himself stopped and looked around at what He had created. Genesis 1:31 says ‘Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!’
I know life can be tough and things don’t always go in straight lines, but take time during the good times and bad to pause, look around and marvel at what God has created for you to enjoy. Through the Beauty of God’s creation and the beautiful people we hang out with, He reminds us of how much He loves us, how much we mean to Him and the blessings he lades us with. So smile!
Love
Angelina x
Inspiring Radiance 