I have been encouraged lately by the many little things that my family, in their own little way, have shown to communicate love to me.
My Mama — she gives and gives, and then gives some more so I can rest and rejuvenate. It’s the way she loves me and I have come to appreciate and enjoy it (well).
My sister — she bombards us daily with dessert and different types of oat milk to go with our Americano; her way of dousing us with love — because she simply loves food and us!
Her husband too, takes the time out his busy schedule as to drive us around so we can be together as a family. And then there are cousins and aunts and friends, who go out of their way to be with us, to spoil us a bit on our post-covid holiday.
It’s funny – but these seemingly small things are what actually leave the largest impressions on my heart.
And I’ve been thinking about how important it is to look for the seemingly ordinary moments of life because this is where the majority of life happens.
It’s true — there are many things we will miss when we don’t learn to live in the moment, when we don’t train our eyes to look for the truly grand in the seemingly gritty and granular moments of life.
We can for instance, grow discontent because we prize the result more than the process.
And honestly? I am so impatient at times that I want all the quick fixes but not value the process that goes behind what it’d take to get me there.
And I’m learning it today: the everyday matters — it really does.
It’s the everyday that shapes us to be who we are.
It’s all the in-betweens and how we respond in these small moments that determine our character and destiny.
And we need to tell ourselves that it’s okay to not always be working towards a goal.
It’s okay to not always be creating something all the time.
It’s okay to not be in a place in life where you’ve had it all made.
Firstly, it’s okay to just be you. Secondly, it’s okay to just be.
When we fail to appreciate the ordinary, we fail to see all the beauty that today holds.
How revolutionary would life be — if, for our new year, we choose to daily look for and savour the little things that make up our everyday.
Yeah, really think about it — how would our lives look if we are able to see all the little moments of life as seeds that would one day germinate into greatness?
Because this ability to see, is in fact an exercise in discernment.
To be great in the everyday, we must appreciate all the little things that are in our everyday.
We must seize the day and tell ourselves that today matters.
All the little things that we do are the threads that make up the fabric of our inner being. What may appear immaterial can actually be what matters most in life.
This is what I’m hoping to encourage you in and it’s my resolution for this year.
I long for the joy that comes from not having more things in life, but to enjoy the things that I already have in life.
And in so doing, I long to take greater ownership of my life, and live the life that God has designed uniquely for me.
It’s this hope of seeing God in our everyday that makes us able to see the greatness of our everyday.
So don’t disdain the small things. Don’t dismiss the little beginnings in our lives.
Life isn’t merely a marathon, life also invites us for play and worship!