“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (psalm 34:8)
I came across this reflection this week, and it’s been sitting on my heart to share…
Gratitude, yes.
for all the big things that stand tall, thick with abundance, joy, faithfulness.
I cannot help but applaud their presence.
But deep thankfulness for the bite-sized pieces of my life?
The little moments assumed and presumed slip quickly through the busy fingers of my busy life.
November gestures with a wrinkled brown hand,
beckons me to wisely consider those fleeing moments of grace, in things quickly passing:
a walk on a musty wooded path,
a cup of coffee silently savored,
a birdsong in the squeaky hours of dawn,
the gentle touch of a loved one’s hand,
a faded crescent moon in a royal blue sky,
I turn to gather finely layered remnants such as these in the command of my days, and discover with surprise,
How quickly my inner room is a harvest place of gold.
November is supposed to be about thankfulness, and often I think we do just as this poem says: We thank God for the big things, our loved ones, friends, etc… but these colder days are perfect for reflecting on the little things that bring us joy and bring us life.
This can be especially difficult when things aren’t going the way we imagined they’d go. We lose jobs, our marriages falter, or our health is shaky.
This can be especially difficult when things aren’t going the way we imagined they’d go. We lose jobs, our marriages falter, or our health is shaky.
Even then, even in these moments, there are “moments of grace” throughout the day.
So this November, instead of participating in a daily thankfulness of obvious things, take some time, and look inward, be reflective, and become aware of all the ways that God is working in the world around you.
Then you will be able to, as the psalmist said, “taste and see” the goodness of God.
Happy Friday,and see you Sunday.