“Only those who see this beauty of His tucked within the ordinary are able to receive it as holy.”- Sara Hagerty
“Earth’s crammed with heaven,/ and every common bush afire with God:/ But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,/ The rest sit around it, and pluck blackberries.”- Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Aurora Leigh”
As Sara Hagerty concludes Chapter 6 of Unseen, she underscores that God loves to interrupt our days – with Himself. But when God speaks, at times we’re too busy tasking to listen. Yet, we benefit when God hides us in difficult circumstances or within the confines of the mundane. As Sara adds, we “begin to see Him speaking with more than just instructions for good Christian living.”
Therefore, we must avoid viewing time spent with God as something we consider after completing the work of life. Rather, we need to spend time with God right in the middle of barreling through it.
Consequently, Ms. Hagerty instituted a “wonder hour” in her day. This hour gave her the option to choose holy wonder over productivity. Hence, she found her wonder hour a concrete way to hide herself in God. Thus, Sara reached toward surrendering her story to God. She did this as she surrendered her schedule and squandered her time. With Him.
In conclusion, God invites us to reconsider opportunities for wonder that constantly unfold around us. In fact, these opportunities occur even in the most unlikely moments. However, Sara notes, our eye need training to see them as much as our hearts need training to engage them. And this happens as we sit before Jesus in the small, ordinary moments of the day.
Today’s question: Where do you find beauty tucked within the ordinary? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Quieting my insides enough”
