I wasn’t happy about having to walk to work. But the family was short a car and the schedules just didn’t match up. It was that big of a deal, as the office was just a mile and half away. I needed the exercise and on a crisp fall morning, there was really no excuse.
My grumbling spirit soon gave way to amazement. Suddenly, my eyes were open. I saw so many things at three miles an hour I would have never seen at 55. Like the intricate flower bed along the side of Betty’s house, with lush flowers in bunches that almost looked like the florist had designed the plantings. And the gentle S the creek formed as it flowed around the Anderson’s back year, with pockets of still water where frogs lived and skeeters dashed on the water surface. And the drawn curtains at Old Joe’s house, as he withdrew away to live in his world of distrust.
I saw old cars peeking out in backyards, resident cats that lurked in window sills, and a small snake sunning on a driveway.
I had driven the route a thousand times, and I there were so many things I had just overlooked.
That lesson on speeding by the details isn’t lost on me today. There is so much I’ve missed in life. I’m purposely rewalking some paths I had previously raced through. I’m finding joy in old movies, old books and childhood friendships. I’m finding life in the things I thought were long dead.
Opening up the Bible, and rereading familiar passages with freshness and newness, I’m stunned. The 23rd Psalm. The Book of John. The Proverbs.. Instead of reading Scripture to find great truths to show others, I’m finding God’s intimate letters, sent just for me.
Like a child that discovers a long lost toy in a corner, I’m smiling at the world around me.
I’m sitting in church, now eager to learn, soaking in the Spirit. And I love the songs , with words of life—those same songs that I used to wish would just get over
I’m learning the value of friendships and love in new ways I never thought imaginable.
I’m discovering wonder again. Is it too late to dream?
How about you? What is one thing you’ve recently discovered?
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