“For the eyes of The Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer“

– 1 Peter 3:12

There is not a place in the universe that God does not see. His eyes see all, His ears hear all, He is all-knowing, all-seeing, all-hearing….He is omni-present and fully aware of and engaged in every aspect of His creation.

In 2005, I rode in a small five passenger plane from Entebbe, Uganda and landed on a small, dirt landing strip in Yei, Sudan. Two people from the orphanage and school we were working with picked us up and we traveled on dirt roads through rural village areas.

Even though I knew (by faith, really) that I was in Yei, I was hidden from the eyes of all who knew me (other than Joel and my friend who worked there at the time, Kelly). If you have ever been in a place that feels like “the middle of nowhere,” you will know what I am speaking about.

The fertile, rich soil in Sudan was deep brown; the leaves on the trees bright green; the sky a stunning blue. I couldn’t help but think that even though so few travel to this spot and have the privilege to see these trees, this land, and these beautiful people, God is there. God sees it all, maintains it all, cares deeply for all who dwell in these tiny, rural villages.

Job 28:24 says, “for He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.”

Then I think about one of the busiest places in the world I recently visited – New York City. Walking through Times Square at Christmas time was quite the experience – one which I don’t recommend for anyone who has issues with claustrophobia.

As I walked through that square, under the bright lights and amid beeping taxis, I squeezed past what seemed like thousands of people. Though I brushed shoulders with them and even looked some of them in the eye, I did not know them, but God does.

God knows every detail about every person that walks through Times Square each day. And He cares intensely about each one. And this is just one more thing that causes me to stand in awe of Him.

Whether you live in the busiest metropolis or the most obscure, rural village – God sees you. You are not hidden from Him.  And He cares deeply about you.

Sometimes we all may feel a little overlooked (or a lot overlooked) by people – perhaps even invisible. But God does not overlook us. In fact, He does the opposite. He beckons us to come closer – to behold Him who is beholding us.

“You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek ” – Psalm 27:8

King David had this revelation and fascination with God – He wanted to know the One who created, cared for, and called him – He wanted to know His Lord more than anything in the world.

He poured out this desire beautifully to The Lord in a prayer: “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

What does this mean – to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord? I read a few sermons, articles, and commentaries on this and a few ideas stuck out to me most.

To look on Him with eyes of faith during worship and to seek His face through His Word is to behold Him. When we admire the attributes of God – his mercy, loving-kindness, patience, grace – we behold His beauty.

We also gaze upon His beauty when we enjoy His creation and acknowledge Him as the amazing designer of it all.

The hundreds of types of trees, no snowflake alike, brightly colored tropical fish, a lion’s roar, the dots on a ladybugs back – they are all amazing and worth reveling in.

As are the little dimples – two in one, actually- that God placed in my daughters left cheek – just like a little “finishing touch” of cuteness 🙂

We each have a choice of what we will look at all day long – what we choose to behold with our eyes and dwell upon with our minds.

Remember that the God who sees the whole world also sees you and  invites you to come near to Him. As it says in James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

So come behold His beauty today. You won’t be disappointed.

photo of Yei Sudan by USAID

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” ~ Psalm 37:3

He trudges up the hill from the metro station, tired and overwhelmed from a long work day, yet eager to see his family. He opens the door, opens his arms, and swing dances his worries away with three little girls, their eyes shining. He is faithful.

She wakes up to the baby crying, says a quick prayer for strength, and enters the nursery for the third time that night.  She feeds, rocks and sing songs to her little one. She is faithful.

Sometimes faithfulness shines through most when you are overwhelmed, at your wits end, even. You think you have nothing to give and you are right. But then you think of Christ, the One to whom David wrote, “When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” You grab ahold of that Rock and watch Him move through you in ways you didn’t think were possible.

And then there are times when faithfulness is shown by what we don’t do. When we say no to one thing in order to say a wholehearted “yes” to another.

He types vigorously in a dark room late at night, words quickly flowing to meet tomorrow’s deadline, he finishes fast. An unwanted image pops up on his screen. He stops, thinks, decides. He turns off the screen and walks away. He is faithful.

She exits the Capitol building and gets into her car to drive home from work. She knows that the emails will keep coming, but she turns off her blackberry and pulls into her driveway. Work is over – her kids take precedence now.  She is faithful.

To feed, to tend, to cultivate faithfulness. To “befriend” faithfulness. Sometimes it means doing the same thing again and again (and again!) because it is simply your duty, the task The Lord has entrusted you with today.

She pulls into the assisted living home with a bag of groceries, a new book, and some pictures of her grandchildren she printed off of the computer. She walks up the stairs into her mother’s room. She enters for the third time that week, this time ready to take her mother out to lunch, to brighten her day a bit. She is faithful.

She pulls out her book and places her fingers to the words, slowly sounding out the letters under her breath. She reads one word.  One word becomes a sentence. One sentence becomes a paragraph, one paragraph a page, one page a book. Soon she has completed 10 books. She is faithful.

And sometimes, faithfulness means being willing to sacrifice your very life for your fellow man. In December, Joel and I visited the World Trade Center memorial (see picture above). My hands moved slowly and deliberately over each name etched in stone, names of fire-fighters and service men and women who faithfully responded to the call of duty – and gave up their lives as a result.

While we can observe everything from small to heroic acts of faithfulness in the lives of those around us, we cannot fully understand faithfulness without looking to God, the Faithful One.

“The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” ~ Deuteronomy 32:4

Our God is a faithful, covenant-keeping God. He’s “the Rock” – steadfast, immovable, strong, secure, and enduring. We cling to Him, and we survive life’s storms. We stand on Him and rise above the waves. And when His character is tended and nurtured within us, He says that we too can be faithful.

Faithfulness is a fruit of, a result of God’s Spirit dwelling within the believer. What do you face today, friend, that causes your knees to weaken with fear or dread? What grates or grinds at your patience to the point of just wanting to give up? If God has called you to the task, He promises to be faithful to supply the grace and strength you need.

Call on the Faithful One, receive His grace today, and watch as the fruits of faithfulness bloom within you.

““If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Remember what it was like when you saw or experienced something special for the first time? The first time you saw an airplane (or flew in one), the first time you rode a bike or had a campfire or made s’mores? The first time you dove off a diving board or went snorkeling?

Life is full of “first experiences” – especially in our early years – those that seem larger than life itself. I have the joy of walking with Abigail through many of her “firsts” this year:

• First smile and laugh
• First crawl
• First tooth and food
• First steps
• First words

These are moments that parents all over the world treasure. Abigail had one of these special “first” experiences last weekend – she played with a cat! Now, she’s seen lots of animals for sure but she’s never spent one on one time playing with any of them until now.

Our neighbors, Tim and Margo, have a cat named Bertie. We visited their home for a meal and as we entered, I placed Abigail on the floor next to Bertie and watched to see her response. It was marvelous!

It was love at first touch – after petting her slowly, Abigail proceeded to rub her face against Bertie’s fur, give her a bear hug, and finally try to crawl all over the poor cat! In response, Bertie began to give clear “non-verbal” cues of “back off, kid…a little space, please!” which made Abigail hysterical! She couldn’t handle this soft, furry creature telling her “no.

Watching my children squeal with delight when they experience something for the first time is really quite splendid to witness because they see life with fresh, new eyes.

Their enjoyment of the experience is filled with awe and rejoicing. But then the time  comes when the scoop of vanilla ice cream just doesn’t have the same effect. They have tried other varieties now and may say, “I like chocolate better,” or “What else is there?” looking for something newer or better.

We live in a country where we are bombarded with advertisements throughout the day – things that we are told will improve our life, health, family, work, future, and so on. But sometimes (and maybe more often) we need to step back and say, “I don’t need to improve my life as much as I need to appreciate and enjoy it.”

The life, family, home, work, friends that we have – these are all gifts from God. We’ve all seen a child who, after receiving a brand new gift that was thoughtfully chosen for them, tosses it aside with disinterest after having another present placed in their lap. And that’s human nature.

But when I see Abigail scream with joy over watching how water shoots out of a water fountain, or a butterfly flying past her face, or by touching the soft fur of a cat, it places a hunger in my soul to stop. to pause. to look at the old or familiar in a new light of appreciation:

• Friends I’ve known for years
• my awesome husband of 12 years
• My oven that creaks and has a hard time lighting, but enables me to feed my family hot, yummy food.
• An older pair of Ugg boots that never cease to warm my feet
• the novelty of a fresh snowfall

…and maybe even a spoonful of regular vanilla ice cream, savored with eyes closed, eaten like it is my first time again.

Perhaps what we need is not a continual drive after increase or even improvement, but a deeper, slower, fuller appreciation and enjoyment of what we already have.

Appreciation breeds contentment and contentment breeds joy. And when you have a heart full of joy, and love, and peace – what more do you need?

It’s hard to improve on a squeal of delight 🙂