{"id":82,"date":"2017-07-07T22:24:38","date_gmt":"2017-07-08T03:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/?p=82"},"modified":"2017-09-15T12:51:50","modified_gmt":"2017-09-15T17:51:50","slug":"savoring-beauty-in-a-busy-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/savoring-beauty-in-a-busy-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Savoring Beauty in a Busy Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leadership is demanding and draining. Deadlines, meetings, seminars, financial resolutions, trainings\u2026 the endless list of to-do\u2019s can be overwhelming. At the end of many days, do you find yourself exhausted, under pressure and concerned about what consequences the next major decision will bring? <\/span><\/p>\n

STOP!<\/i><\/b> Take a deep breath and remind yourself that life is meant to be savored.<\/span> You are surrounded by beauty; don\u2019t let your busyness rob you of it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest. Most of your work can\u2019t change, and the responsibilities won\u2019t go anywhere. However, there is one thing that you <\/span>can <\/span><\/i>change, and that is your perspective, the way in which you choose to see life around you. It\u2019s a small change with huge impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a moment and pause to see what stands around you. <\/b><\/p>\n

Look at that blooming tree. Seriously. Take a close look and appreciate the stunning beauty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Admire the sunset. Wonder at the brilliant colors and the silky clouds as they roll by. <\/span><\/p>\n

Observe a cat, cow, bird, or squirrel as it journeys by you. Look at how it moves. Notice its colors, structure and personality. <\/span><\/p>\n

Watch an ant gather food. <\/span><\/p>\n

Admire the shapes of a painting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eavesdrop on the crickets in the evening. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take in the splash of color at a fruit stand. <\/span><\/p>\n

Listen to the rain as it hits the pavement. <\/span><\/p>\n

Appreciate the sound of laughter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Savor the flavor of a mango.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a daily exploration. What will you discover? Where is the beauty waiting for you today? – It\u2019s <\/b>everywhere!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Beauty in nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beauty in people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beauty in art<\/span><\/p>\n

Beauty in science<\/span><\/p>\n

Beauty in vulnerability.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beauty in the mess of every day.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s there, will you see it? <\/span><\/p>\n

When you find it let it remind you that\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>1. God will care for you<\/b><\/p>\n

Jesus encouraged His listeners to look at how God has clothed flowers so that they themselves would not worry about their own clothing (Matthew 6:26). When you think of the detailed care that God has put into creating beauty and then remember that men and women are the pinnacle of God\u2019s creation, be reminded: God\u2019s plan is to care for your every need as well. <\/span>[1]<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>2. God is glorious<\/b><\/p>\n

Do you long for a glimpse of God\u2019s glory? When God created the material things of this world, He meant for them to portray His glory. Psalms 19:1 says, \u201c<\/span>The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.<\/span><\/i>\u201d The beauty in creation reveals and tells us how beautiful God is. It\u2019s God\u2019s tangible way to give us a peek into His character, brilliance, and glory. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/b>3. God loves you<\/b><\/p>\n

Not only did God make things beautiful to display His glory in a tangible way, but He did it as an act of love. Can you describe the feeling you have when you see something beautiful? Yeah, it is called pleasure.<\/span><\/p>\n

When our eyes see a waterfall or the design of a dragonfly we often can\u2019t help but say, \u201cWow.\u201d God loves you and me, and He has surrounded us with pictures of His love. When we gaze upon something truly lovely, we are experiencing beauty; a gift given in love. <\/span>[2]<\/span><\/p>\n

Beauty is life giving<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s all a marvel. It\u2019s all a gift. Take the time to see the ordinary wonderful around you and let it be a reminder that life is meant to be savored.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bible says that God has made <\/span>everything <\/span><\/i>beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Seeing life through that lens is profound and life-giving. <\/span>[1]<\/span><\/p>\n

May we all appreciate the beauty this world has to offer. Slow down from your responsibilities, look up from your electronic devices, and behold the beautiful world around you. Give thanks, explore, draw near, enjoy, and experience the God of beauty that cares for you and loves you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you willing to allow the beauty around you to change the way you live and lead? Pause today, uncover the beautiful and find the God of life and love in your surroundings. <\/span><\/p>\n

Growth Point:<\/strong><\/p>\n

We often miss, in our busyness, the beauty of our God and the reminders of His care and love for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scripture Point:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read Psalms 27:4. How does God describe beauty in this verse?<\/span><\/p>\n

Action Point:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Be intentional this week to stop and see the beautiful things around you. At the end of the day, write down the things you noticed. Ask the question: What does God want me to know through these things?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/span> http:\/\/www.incourage.me\/2015\/08\/the-beauty-around-us.html<\/span><\/p>\n

[2]<\/span> http:\/\/www.eleazarruiz.com\/blog\/2016\/5\/8\/god-beauty<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leadership is demanding and draining. Deadlines, meetings, seminars, financial resolutions, trainings\u2026 the endless list of to-do\u2019s can be overwhelming. At the end of many days, do you find yourself exhausted, under pressure and concerned about what consequences the next major decision will bring? STOP! Take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":83,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-health-and-renewal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions\/84"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reconciledworld.org\/flourish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}