Through the eyes of a child

When we take my 18 month old granddaughter for a walk you can see in her eyes what an incredible adventure it is. For a start there is no destination in her mind, no straight line walking. She simply walks in any direction she chooses, forwards, backwards, to the left, or the right, whichever direction seems to be the most interesting.

Everything is amazing, just waiting to be discovered. The dog swimming in the sea, the birds flying overhead, the strange patterns on the floor, the curb to step up onto and off numerous times, the cars, the children on scooters and the faces of people passing by. It all demands pausing for and inspecting, before laughing and moving on.

She is fully present in the moment. She’s not thinking about the future or dwelling in the past. She is simply excited to discover the beauty in the created world around her.

As adults we have become familiar with our surroundings, to the point where we seldom notice the beauty that infuses everything around us. We are consumed by busyness, anxiety about the future or distracted by what has now become our “extra appendage” – the smart phone.

Rediscovering the ability to “notice” the incredible beauty and intricacy of creation reminds us that God is all around us, revealing Himself to us in every moment of every day.

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These words were written by David, one of the most famous kings of Israel. Before he became king he looked after his family’s sheep, so he spent a lot of time outdoors. He would have looked up at the sky, both during the day and the night, noticing the sun moving across the sky and the stars appearing when the sun had gone. What he saw prompted him to write, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies announce what His hands have made.”

Through the beauty of creation we can clearly see who God is, if we would stop for long enough to notice.

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Romans 1:20 (New Living Translation)

During one of our recent “Wild Church” gatherings we used the verse above to encourage people to slow down and pause, turning their attention to the things around. We wanted to notice how God has “hidden” His presence in everything He has created.

We had gathered in a wood and so we asked each person to find a tree and to focus on that tree. It could be from a distance or close enough to touch. After taking some time to quieten the noise in our minds and breathing slowly we encouraged each person to ask themselves the following question – “What does this tree remind me of or show me about who God is, His character?”

After a few minutes we gathered together and all shared what we had experienced and it was amazing. Each person had noticed something of God’s character hidden in “a tree” and nearly all were different. There was this beautiful sense of the multi layered character of God being revealed to us because we took the time to notice. It really was incredible and it was right in that moment to thank God for who He is.

Remember it doesn’t have to be a tree – it can be a dog swimming in the sea, a bird flying overhead, the strange patterns on the floor, a curb to step up onto and off numerous times, a car, children on scooters or the faces of people passing by!