Give Me Zest!

Why do we fill our days with so much crap that the good stuff seems to get diluted or even go unnoticed? Our lives are so busy that we need calendars on the fridge, at our desk, on our phones and our computers. Each day seems to be filled with so many distractions that we sometimes fail to see the beauty in the smallest of ways and smallest of things. Several weeks ago, my girlfriend Brooke sent me one of her daily reads and I can't stop thinking about it. I thought I'd share it here with you today. It's about life and the beauty that God delivers moment by moment. Lately I have been so joyful in the mundane happenings of life:


diaper changes (even the poopie ones)


clouds that break the heat 

***

a v-neck t-shirt on my super hot husband

plastic kiddie pools 

laughter 

writing this blog (even when I have no clue what I want to write about next)
and so much more. 


God brings beauty into our lives everyday; it's up to us to notice. Today I thank God that He has given me the ability to stop and notice these moments of beauty in the midst of them instead of hurrying my day along. xo


"Who out there has a zest for life? Can't wait each day to come upon beauty." Psalm 34: 12 (MSG)

How's your day going so far?

I wonder if the weather where you are is pretty or if you woke to clouds and felt a little blue. I wonder if your family, friends, co-workers or boss have aggravated you today. Has it dulled your mood? Are you mulling over an unpleasant interaction, dreading a task, or maybe griping about some aspect of your life this morning?

I recently read that 80% of working Americans have no passion for their work. Do you find passion or beauty in your work? Be it an office job, a self-employed business, or the business of changing diapers and sweeping up Cheerios; are you reasonably happy as you go about your work? Could you be? What would it take?

What about the people in your life – your family, friends, church members, neighbors – have you enjoyed their company today? Or recently? Have you loved the ones you're with?

I wonder too, have you noticed any beauty today? Have you looked for it? Have you even looked up?

God is in the beauty making business. Just glance outside and see what I mean. Even if it's cloudy or rainy, there is beauty to be seen. And felt. And experienced. When did you last take a walk outdoors, maybe through a park or down a shady trail just to enjoy the surroundings? Just to breathe the air.

We see God's beauty most clearly in creation but you can also see it in the way a mother cradles her baby, or the way a woman looks adoringly at her fiancé, or the way a child splashes joyously through puddles in his rain boots.

You can hear it too, in the sound of birds, the sweet whisper of "I love you," or the sound of a choir joining voices in praise. Have you heard it today?

Throughout the Bible, especially the Psalms, I see a link between joy and worshipping God. I see commands to be joyful, to rejoice, to bless and be blessed. I believe the Bible calls us to cultivate a joyful, "zesty life" that looks for His beauty daily and thanks Him for it. "Who out there has a zest for life? Can't wait each day to come upon beauty?" (Psalm 34:12, MSG).

Did you wake this morning with an expectation of encountering something of the splendor of God? Did you swing your feet out of bed anticipating enjoying the God-ordained beauty in your day? Are you cultivating a zesty life, or drudging through your days, ticking off your to-dos, oblivious?

If you've been less than zesty, or even oblivious, it's not too late. Ask God to open the eyes of your heart today to see and savor Him, in the miraculous and in the mundane.