Enjoy the Little Things. A quote that is so familiar to most of us. Maybe you have a mug, a shirt, a notebook, or a picture with this phrase. I, myself, have both a small picture and a notebook I found at the dollar store. Honestly, the notebook was just an impulse buy for me. I needed a notebook for my journaling. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, so I went to the dollar store. This one was cute and it didn’t look too cheap, so I bought it.
Many months later, the notebook is almost full. But, today, for the very first time, I am struck by just how fitting this notebook is for my season of life. I’ve struggled a fair bit the last several months. Anxiety and panic attacks hit me again for the first time in several years. My Dad has been in the hospital. My daughter is struggling. But here’s the thing; God gave me a word at the beginning of 2019 and it’s a good word.
I haven’t written about it yet, but the word or words are “Be Still.” Psalm 46:10 (NLT) “Be Still and Know that I am God!…” How very fitting to my season. It kind of seems like God knew what the last several months would bring. He also knew that I wouldn’t welcome all these things with joy-filled arms and that I would “fail” (at least in my definition of failure) at being joyful in them many times over. There have been times that I haven’t even been able to hear his voice whisper, “Be still.” But when I let him, he’s been whispering these words to my soul, time and time again.
Today, though, there is a new level of gratitude beginning to birth in my soul. It comes from the whisperings of my soul to “focus.” Focus on the lovely, good things. The little things.
Yes, there is a lot of processing going on in my mind. Yes, it’s hard to figure out my feelings, at times. What does “Be Still” look like in practice? Does it look like me sitting in my driveway soaking up the sun and writing? Does it look like me putting down my phone to really focus on my son and his chatting for the umpteenth time, being fulling engaged in his conversation?
Maybe “Enjoy the Little Things” really means “take the time to notice the little, good things around you.” If you do, maybe the big, bad things might just start looking a little less bad or overwhelming.
I’ve being reading, “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp and I know I’m really late to that bandwagon. I’m just barely into it, but I’m having a flashback to how I used to write a gratitude journal and how much it helped me. Perhaps we just need reminders of the good, little things. Perhaps we need a reminder to be more thankful. I don’t know. I just know that I want to learn to say with Paul, Phil. 4:11-12 (NLT) “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.”
Maybe the journal I bought just because it was cheap is here because I need the reminder-“Enjoy the little things.” Maybe you need that reminder, today. “Enjoy the little things.” Ann Voskamp tells us that part of gratitude is taking the time to notice. I’m busy. I’m sure you’re busy, but busyness doesn’t fill us, it drains us. Just this afternoon, I took a walk with my daughter and just happened to notice that the sky was very blue and there were huge white clouds floating in the sky. Gratitude. Enjoy the little things. How can you enjoy the little things today?