I was walking the dog along the front the other day and noticed that people were stood still instead of walking as they would normally. Everyone was looking at the River Mersey, it was obvious that something was different. So I joined those standing by the railings and watched as a shoal of Porpoise swam by. This amazing scene seemed to go on for some time, it was a fantastic sight and it brought the people to a standstill.
It was one of those ‘wow’ moments. The weather was good, the river was completely still and you could see everything so clearly. You could hear the sound of the water as the Porpoise came to the surface to breathe. I was mesmerised and could have stayed there watching for ages.
There are moments in life when we need to stop and take a breath, moments when we need to stop and take things in. God gave us this amazing planet to look after and to enjoy. He created a perfect world and we read in the book of Genesis that after each aspect of creation God ‘looked and saw that it was good’. How often do we afford ourselves the time to stop and look at things in our life? To enjoy things, even to say ‘wow’ at all that God is doing.
Back on the front as I watched along with many others, I also noticed a man about my age coming towards us running, he had his headphones on and was in a world of his own, completely oblivious to the beautiful scene that was unfolding infront of him. He simply ran past and missed it.
The real danger is, we can if were not careful miss out on things that God is doing because we have our heads down or we’re too focussed or to busy doing our own thing. Its far too easy to squeeze God out of things. Its far too easy to look at things and take them for granted. To become apathetic about life and lose the simple enjoyment that these moments offer.
When I was a teacher we were constantly encouraged to create ‘awe and wonder’ in every lesson. To leave the children thinking ‘wow’. When was the last time you allowed yourself to be ‘wowed’ by something? More importantly, when was the last time this led you to praise God for all that he is doing and for the wonder of his creation?
Jesus says in Matthew 19:14 “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” This means that we should come to our heavenly father like little children, to trust him completely, to have a child like faith, but it also means we should, like children, delight in the simple pleasures and joys of life and allow the awe and wonder of Gods love to literally stop us dead in out tracks! (just like those Porpoise did!)
Over this summer period, can I encourage you to try and find time to ‘breathe’. To breathe in the beauty of God’s creation and love! Find a space when you can allow God time to touch you afresh. And in those moments allow yourself to be mesmerised by God, to come to Him like a child. Or as Ephesians 3: 16-19 puts it:
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.