Our faith walk is often full of surprises.
Last week, we were blessed with some delightfully warm weather for the end of January. I took full advantage of the mild weather and got outside as much as possible.
My favorite prayer time is when I am out in nature, surrounded by Creation. I also find that when I’m moving my body while I pray, I often become more alert. I can hear and see God more clearly. So, I went for a walk, hoping for some guidance, some answers, and a glimpse of His hand.
I was not disappointed. The weather alone, brought the first thanks to my lips. Then, there were birds singing and squirrels scampering. I even heard two hawks calling to each other. They often appear when I’m deep in prayer about something.
The stream that runs through my neighborhood has finally gotten full again and it made a loud rushing sound as I crossed over it.
I gave thanks for the ability to walk. I gave thanks for my sight and my hearing.
When I turned back on my street, I chuckled at some crows calling to each other and I wondered what mischief they were getting into. I waved at a neighbor and gave thanks for good neighbors.
These are all everyday blessings, the ones that we so often take for granted. They are also the ones we would dearly miss if they were taken away.
When I had almost reached my house, I thanked God for the everyday things and I thanked Him for giving me eyes to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.
And then, a large rooster crossed the road right in front of me. He was beautiful and incredibly out of place. I broke out in a huge grin. I had definitely not expected to see a rooster. He was not ordinary. I stopped and watched him cross. When he was safely on the other side of the road, he let out a very loud cock-a-doodle-doo!
At that point, I chuckled out loud and I looked heavenward and gave thanks for the surprise.
It’s sometimes easy to become very comfortable in our faith walk. We know that God provides for us in dozens of ways all throughout our day, but we forget that He’s full of surprises too.
That rooster was a surprise. As I was giving thanks for all of my daily blessings, God surprised me with something different.
As I thought about it later, I wondered if that’s perhaps the key to opening new doors. Maybe, we need to be thankful for all that we already have before we ask for or expect something different. Maybe, it’s when we give heartfelt thanks for the ordinary, that we are able to see the extraordinary.
One thing is certain; God is full of surprises and when we walk closely with Him and keep our eyes and ears open, there’s no telling what we might see or hear.
A rooster reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂