I was walking in Central Park when I was stopped by this tree. It was only tiny—totally dwarfed by the great elms. But it was caught by the sun—as if in a spotlight—and transformed into a blazing bush.
Moses was minding his own business when something caught his eye—a bush was behaving oddly… he came close and God spoke to him. And made the ground he stood on holy.
But what if he’d been too busy? Or in too much of a rush? Or staring down at his smartphone?
What if he hadn’t stopped and taken a closer look?
We can walk right past so much. In the rushing to not miss out, in our haste to get to the next thing so that we maximize everything—what are we not seeing? What are we missing? What is hiding in plain sight?
Once we stop rushing, what might we see—if only we looked?
The main reason we won’t stop is fear. We keep on running because we are afraid. My dear friend Ann Voskamp has a new book out called The Broken Way and I love this quote she opens with…
“The very thing we are afraid of, our brokenness, is the door to our Father’s heart.” —Paul Miller
No more running. That’s my new resolution. And the pace of walking means you might find gifts waiting for you on your path… and walk right through a doorway to Joy.
Beauty hiding in plain sight in the aftermath of the storm—
Leaves on the path…
The bark of a tree…
A water tower set against a burning sky…
Beauty is everywhere. It’s just how we frame it. Where we put our attention. The difference between looking. And seeing.
Children are masters of this. Wordsworth said it perfectly:
“Heaven lies about us in our infancy.”
Heaven is all around us, too. May we have the eyes of a child to see it …
Have a happy wonder-filled Thanksgiving!
(I know I’m a Brit and technically what you’re being thankful for is landing safely far from the mother land, but it’s still my all time favorite holiday. Here’s why.)
PS: I love trees so much I had to include a special “Tree Thought” in Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing called “true colors.”
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Featured tree (in her TRUE colors)
Love everything you write. I play someday get the chance to meet you. My niece who got your bible story book from me when she was 5 on Christmas day and who kept it with her in every picture that day, turns 14 this Jan and she has told me she still loves your book. Dec 3 her parents & I are coming to your city. Their first trip, I am along to play tour guide. I told her NYC is where you live. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Still praying you come out with a 2nd Jesus Story book. Blessings, Karen Nolt
Thank you Sally. During this intense aftermath for reminders of looking for beauty, and seeing what is around. When I used to live in Brooklyn back in the early 90’s, the trees in Central Park and in Prospect Park used to be favorite God paintings to look at. Even after living overseas in Asia for many years, Thanksgiving remains one of my favorite holidays too. JOY to you today!