watching

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being WATCHFUL and THANKFUL."

Colossians 4:2

In case anyone missed how much I LOVE Mark Batterson's Primal, thought I'd remind you.  I read it quickly a month ago and have been crawling back through its pages each week as we've been doing the study at our Thursday lunches. 

This week: Love God will all your mind.

Goes with loving God with all our soul.  Wonder and curiosity.  Curiosity and wonder. 

While I am hugely creative, I am not the most curious person you'll ever meet. I have often said that I either have a great deal of faith or am a lazy theologian.  I am just ok with not understanding some things!  But, I do desire to know God more and to understand more about His plan and purposes. 

And today this verse resonates in my heart because loving God with our minds includes praying ... and praying makes us a people who are WATCHFUL and THANKFUL.  That's something I am learning as I journey through 1000 gifts, 2000 gifts, 3000 gifts ... well, you get it.  It's seeing GOD in everyday, ordinary stuff.  It's noticing his handprints in our lives, seeing His fingerprints on our day.  It's getting away from the "conincidental" thinking to see the intentionality of His love and care and provision (that we often overlook).

I've been enamored with the blooms this week.  They are EVERYWHERE and there is something so new and so fresh about that.

And I can glance their way as I go about the millions of things on my plate or I can stop and see GOD in their beauty.  I can likewise do the same with people, I can stop and see GOD in them or I can brush past them in the hurry of where I am going or as the distraction they can seem to be. 

Mark (Batterson) says:



PRAYER turns us into first class noticers.

It's so true.  You know how it is when you are thinking of buying a certain car (or just bought one) and you see them EVERYWHERE.  Or you have a certain song stuck in your head ... and it seems that everywhere you turn, you hear it?? 

That's what prayer does.  It tunes us in to be noticers, people who notice GOD at work around them, who see His creation, who marvel at HIM in people, who see His provision (even in the little things like parking places and flipflop weather).  And being a noticer turns us into someone who is THANKFUL for those things we notice.

I am desperately seeking some time this afternoon to walk along the river and notice God at work IN me and AROUND me.  And to have time to pray and listen and see.  Makes my heart happy just to think about it (and that daylight savings time we get next week!)  Who's in??   Where are you noticing GOD in your life???