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God Bends Down to Hold the Ordinary

July 13, 2010 By Jean Wise

My one-year-old granddaughter, Kyla, has been here the past three days as her parents help put on a new roof on our house.  My duties while they lifted, hammered, and sweated in the hot summer sun?  Babysit!!
Now being a good grandma I have a collection of fun and developmental correct toys and lots of books for her. Yet what was her favorite activity?  Playing in the backyard with stones.
I was fascinated watching her.  She looked intently at the ordinary river rocks, spied just the one she wanted and gingerly picked it up like it was the most precious stone on earth. She held it tenderly in her hands, murmur baby talk as if she knew somehow the rock would recognize the words, then lay it gently down. 
I have stepped on these rocks in my back yard for a number of years and never once took the time to notice the individual colors, shapes and differences. I wonder what other everyday miracles I miss. One year old Kyla reminded me, this old grandma, that paying attention is a powerful spiritual discipline.
blankGod reaches down into the mucky mess of this world and picks up an unremarkable, ordinary human being.  He holds that person tenderly and whispers His love in a language we may not fully understand, but somehow know. I believe He holds each of us this way every day, every moment. Watching Kyla, I saw God.
Seeing the world through the eyes of a one year old and experiencing the presence of God surprisingly blessed my day. 

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Filed Under: family/friends, spiritual lessons

Comments

  1. blankClella says

    July 16, 2010 at 2:43 am

    And how I can relate to this. A child in a family can make you look at everything with new eyes. When it is your great-granddaughter you are truly amazed. And these pictures are just wonderful!

  2. blankLaura says

    July 15, 2010 at 1:52 am

    Oh, what a blessing you had and thanks for sharing it with us!!

    Precious.

  3. blankRajee says

    July 13, 2010 at 9:12 pm

    Lovely post. Followed your blog, username Rajee I am your new follower. Would love if you follow my blog, http://momsfocusonline.com

    You are also welcome to Time To Follow: Blog Hop for July – Link up your blog name and badge to return the favor to follow you back

    Nice to meet you!

  4. blankMelinda says

    July 13, 2010 at 8:56 pm

    What a great reminder, Jeanie. I’m trying to do that more — enjoy and appreciate the moment. It takes discipline definitely.

    Your granddaughter is ADORABLE. I think you absolutely got the best job! Beats putting on a roof anyday!

  5. blankKaye says

    July 13, 2010 at 8:22 pm

    Isn’t it awesome when activities for grandparents and their grandchildren lead into a time of praise and worship to God! I loved reading this and seeing the cute photos. Thanks so much for sharing it. 🙂

  6. blankKaren says

    July 13, 2010 at 7:29 pm

    Kyla is so adorable!! How like someone who is your granddaughter to teach. 🙂

  7. blankKristen says

    July 13, 2010 at 6:53 pm

    Beautiful post! You are right…sometimes we miss the things that we look at everyday–but God sees something special and picks it up…polishing it until it becomes something magnificent!!

  8. blankJean Wise says

    July 13, 2010 at 6:41 pm

    Thanks for the comments. I am a proud grandma, you know but it never ceases to amaze me the lessons we continue to learn.

  9. blankJulie Gillies says

    July 13, 2010 at 4:55 pm

    What a beautiful analogy, Jeanie! And your little Kyla is absolutely adorable! I think you got the sweet end of the deal regarding your new roof! 🙂

  10. blankMichelle says

    July 13, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    Sweet post and great reminder! Thanks-

  11. blankJohnnie says

    July 13, 2010 at 2:25 pm

    Kyla is so adorable and I love her little outfit. So cute!

    Your post reminded me how often I breathed a prayer of thanks when I was in my early thirties with a toddler (Nate). I loved seeing the world new again through his eyes.

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