It’s my eyes that need training to see it [God’s glory] in the middle minutes.”- Sara Hagerty
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”- Psalm 19:1 (ESV)
Sara Hagerty continues Chapter 6 of Unseen as she observes that we often relegate silence and wonder to the naturally contemplative. However, there’s harm in cutting ourselves off from attending to God in the quiet and small things. It results in cutting ourselves off from soul food. We starve ourselves from our true source of life. Consequently, in Answering God, Eugene Peterson writes:
“In prayer we intend to leave the world of anxieties and enter a world of wonder. We decide to leave an ego-centered world and enter a God-centered world. . . . But it’s not easy. We are used to anxieties, egos, and problems; we are not used to wonder, God, and mystery.”
As a result, Sara adds, wonder:
- means cracking our eyes open to God – who sees us all the time (emphasis Sara’s)
- sometimes comes off as shyness – it slips our heart’s notice when we refuse to seek it in the minutia of life
Thus, so wonder doesn’t escape us, God hides us. During those hidden times, scanning the day for His wonders sinks our roots strongly into His love. Furthermore, because it’s never simple to get quiet, we need to develop internal stillness. Ms. Hagerty defines the term:
“Internal stillness takes practice. It is the fruit of hiddenness — a life that’s lived looking at God, a life of wonder in Him — and it needs to be cultivated.”
And perhaps our busyness – all that runs counter to our calling to gaze at God’s beauty – only reinforces our need to seek that beauty. In contrast, our fast-paced culture, Sara notes, opposes the communion with God that makes our hearts grow wildly deep.
Today’s question: What Spiritual disciplines help you see God’s glory in the middle minutes? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “God’s beauty – tucked within the ordinary”
