The Simple Things

There are some things in this life that no one really pays much attention to, but nonetheless make life what we know it to be. Take, for instance, air (I know it’s an absurd example, but true even so). No one really pays much attention to air. The mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, and about… a lot of other gases that surrounds us every minute of every day, no one really gives a second thought to, but without it, life would definitely not be what it is today. There are many things like this in the world; I’ll bet if you think for even one minute, you could come up with a few yourself. My point in all this is that to truly take in all that life has to offer, one needs to sometimes sit back and look at what makes life life; think about the things that we encounter everyday that, without these things, life would change completely. One thing that I can think of right now is my physical ability. I can walk and talk. That is something that I totally take for granted on a very regular basis, but there are people who have gone through or are going through life without one or both of those abilities. To really sit down and think about how fortunate I am to be able to walk and talk lends a new perspective on the humdrum of everyday life. Instead of having a sour attitude because the elevator in your apartment building might be broken, rejoice that you can still get out because you are able to use the stairs. Instead of cursing your neighbor because the misunderstanding of a comment, take joy in the fact that you can communicate with your neighbor at all. It’s small things like this that I’m talking about.

There is one thing that I think everyone takes for granted on an almost constant basis that only a precious few people think about on any regular basis. The ‘thing’ that I’m referring to is God. God shows up in everything we do. He created us, He created the environment that we live in, and he created the people we interact with. He controls the winds and the rains and He dictates the actions of the birds of the air and the beasts of the ground. Without God, this life would most certainly be much, much, different. With out God even the most mundane actions would be impossible. Without God, there would be no you and there would be no me. So I encourage you, next time that you walk outside into a beautiful spring day and take a deep breath of fresh air or see a meadow in the middle of December covered in a pure white blanket of untouched snow, think about the things that make it possible for you to have that experience. Think about who is responsible for the beauty that you see. The next time you’re having a bad day, think about the simple often overlooked things. Think about what made your day ‘bad’ and give thanks to God that you’re even able to experience whatever that is. Phillipians 4:6-7 says Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpassas all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.