“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Hebrews 2:1
I recently sat down with a community group dedicated to bringing redemption to all of Richmond. There we heard from a guest speaker, a poet who asked us to consider the cup in our hands. He spoke of how in his youth outreach he asks them to write about common items, to make them personal and known, to tell a better story. The speaker elegantly moved onto the rest of his presentation, but I remained thinking about the cup.
That morning, I had read the following line, ‘attention is the beginning of devotion.’ It struck me how often move our attention onto the next thing. The next show, then next event – even our video feeds can’t wait for us to decide as they automatically play whatever the computer picks next. We scan, we look, we strain to discover what might be in store for us ahead. It seems to be our culture’s way. And so this cup left me wondering, How often do we attend to the everyday ordinary of what already is?
What, and more importantly, who surrounds us has a far greater impact than the ‘next best thing’ on our lives. Do we attend to the extraordinary blessings of the ordinary parts of our lives?
God’s mercies and blessings are fresh every morning. Do we rest long enough to attend to where they might be offered, to receive afresh God’s blessings?
As we move into what is for many a very busy season full all sorts of the next best things, I pray you find that time to rest, to receive, to breathe. May you be in such moments of fresh blessing this Christmas season.
Lord, guide us to those green pastures of rest, so we are able to attend to the ‘cups’ of our lives. You offer us life in a abundance. May we attend to your steady presence and be blessed in the everyday spaces of life whatever may come. We thank you for the reason for this season and the continued merriment and joy it brings. In Jesus name, Amen.
