Pay attention!

“Be still, and know that I am God.” - Psalm 46:10

It’s easy to move through life without really paying attention.

We get busy. We move fast. We check the boxes. We handle what needs to be handled.

We go from one responsibility to the next, and before long, whole days can pass without us ever slowing down enough to notice what keeps showing up in our lives.

The same frustration. The same fear. The same conversation we keep avoiding. The same longing we keep dismissing. The same invitation from God we keep pushing aside. 

I’ve found that when I’m moving too fast, I miss patterns. I miss what my reactions are trying to tell me. I miss where I’m becoming tired or hardened. I miss where God may be asking me to surrender. I miss the small ways He is trying to get my attention.

The life of faith requires attention. Not anxious overthinking. Not obsessing over every detail. But a slower, more open awareness of where God is present and what He may be revealing.

Jesus often noticed what others missed. He noticed the woman who touched the edge of His garment. He noticed Zacchaeus in the tree. He noticed the children others tried to push away. He noticed hunger, grief, faith, shame, and longing in others. He was never too busy or important to pay attention.

It’s tempting to focus only on what needs to be fixed, solved, or accomplished. But sometimes the most important thing we can do is slow down enough to notice things that have been repeating, that continue stirring, that we’ve been resisting.

To notice where God may be inviting us to trust Him more deeply.

Have you been moving too fast to pay attention to things that matter?

What patterns might God be asking you to notice in this season?

What would it look like to slow down and listen today?