PAY ATTENTION!

"Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you" (Neh. 9:5-6, NIV).

Several years ago, when I was a graduate student, I lived with a terrific family in a Chesapeake, Virginia, neighborhood that sported some of the most gorgeous magnolia trees I’d ever seen. I simply loved these stately specimens, and the beautiful, fragrant blossoms are still my favorites. One of the family’s trees was particularly mature, and because it produced hundreds of flowers every year, no one cared if I picked a few to take to work with me.

Each spring, I got a huge kick out of what became a pleasant little experiment. I would place a fully opened magnolia blossom in a bowl of water, set it on my office desk and wait for people to notice it. Before long, everyone was overtaken by the extraordinary beauty and aroma of the beautiful white blossom in the bowl. That flower literally changed the atmosphere of the whole room, and most people had no idea what it was.

Keep in mind, we were in the South. Although the magnolia is not the official state tree of Virginia, it’s probably a very close second. They are everywhere. Just look out of any window, of any building in the city, including the place where I worked, and you’d probably see hundreds of flowers just like the one on my desk. They sprang up next to the walls and lined every sidewalk on the campus. Apparently, most people just ignored them because they told me they had never seen anything like it before.

Something so perfectly mesmerizing (and quite common, actually) went almost completely unnoticed by scores of people everyday. But when I put a single blossom on display, it demanded everyone’s attention and examination. They were inspired by it; it’s beauty stopped busy students, faculty and staff in their tracks.

At the time, I was a struggling graduate student, in my early 40s. No one was more shocked than I when I found myself back in school at that age. The years had brought a number of jolting transitions, and I sensed that the Lord was directing my steps. Nevertheless, I still wondered during those years, what happened to the life I thought I’d be living.

It was in this season that quite often the Lord urged me to reflect on and find joy in the awesome beauty of His creation. I was renting a small studio apartment in a home that was surrounded with beautiful trees, shrubs and plants. A creek ran next to the property, and ducks, geese and all manner of waterfowl monitored my comings and goings every day. I took it all in. Considering even a small aspect of the beauty of God’s creation provided for me an immediate connection with Him.

I think that’s why people reacted to the flower in the bowl the way they did. It wasn’t an elaborate arrangement, but in its simplicity, it connected them to their Creator in a profound way—a way they’d no doubt never given a thought to before.

As I’ve sought the Lord lately, He’s reminded me of this experience from years ago, and He seems to be saying to me again, “Pay attention.” As I have intentionally experienced His presence through His Word and in His creation, I have discovered that sometimes, just being aware of Him reveals the answers to my questions. Most of the time, what I really need is for God to open my eyes to see Him everywhere.

Brenda J. Davis is an acquisitions editor for the Strang Book Group and the former editor of SpiritLed Woman.