Sometimes I get caught up in wanting to experience God in big ways. I want obvious signs of his presence… I want to see miracles, to have visions of his face when I sleep at night, and feel the ground shake beneath my feet during worship. I want to feel him. I want to taste him and hear him audibly. But when these things don’t always happen, I become frustrated and ask him where he is, thinking that he’s not there with me.
But oh, how I am wrong.
Sometimes I just need to open my eyes to the world around me to notice Jesus’ little gifts to me. Just a few days ago, I was walking into a small grocery store in the middle of nowhere (aka Nsoko), Swaziland. I noticed a Swazi man walking in front of me, wearing a Steelers shirt. My heart leaped with joy as I thought about my dear home, Pittsburgh. A little gift of home that day revealed so much of the Father’s love for me. I imagined my city alive with the excitement of game day, all decked out in black and yellow, terrible towels hanging in every house.
Or perhaps I could be reminded of a humid day in Chiang Mai, Thailand. My teammates and I were walking to a shopping mall to pick up some things we needed, and I announced my craving for a cold Coke. My mouth was literally salivating thinking about the crisp, refreshing, tingly feeling it gave your tongue as you drank it. I was parched. When we turned the corner to walk into the mall entrance, a booth was set up where free cold Cokes were being handed out. I burst out laughing at the Lord’s humor and love for his children as a girl in a Coca Cola shirt walked over to me with a can. He delights in giving us little gifts like these.
Maybe I could even think about a specific night about a week ago. I climbed in my bed feeling unusually lonely, and it was clear that Satan was planting thoughts in my head that I was an outsider among the group of 20 women I’m living with this month. I felt invisible, for no real reason at all. I closed my eyes and prayed for someone to notice me before I fall asleep, and that’s when my team leader Megan walked over to me, tucked me in, kissed me on the cheek and whispered “love you”. Papa knew exactly what I needed at that moment, and he took care of me with a simple gift.
The Lord delights in giving you the desires of your heart. He wants to make you feel loved, cherished, noticed, alive, and free. Open your eyes to the small things in the world around you… a smile from a stranger. A parking spot becoming available just as you pull into a crowded lot. The beauty of individual snowflakes on your windshield. Jesus is all around you, and he doesn’t need to send an earthquake to make his presence known. Open your eyes, he is showering you with little packages of his love in every moment.
