When I recently hit a dip in optimism, my husband sent me on a spiritual treasure hunt to lift me up.
Assignment: “Sarah, tomorrow be observant all day. Find one thing in your day outside of the house that speaks to you or shows God’s beauty. See it, and then think about how God did that for you—as opposed to asking God to show you something and then waiting for it.”
The goal was for me to be intentional with observation, instead of passively expecting something to just serendipitously fall into my lap from God. This homework required active effort on my part.
Several years ago, these directions were part of my intuitive daily routine, not something that I needed to be instructed on. But alas, perpetual pain and disappointment have a way of warping perspective and can block a person from hearing and seeing God.
With a mixture of excitement and reluctance, I began my day with ears and eyes wide open. The first morning I heard a boisterous cardinal that caught my attention, but it is what I saw on the second day that prompted me to finally write again.
The sun shone brightly as I walked the dog in the middle of the day. Determined to complete my assignment, I dutifully continued to scan nature. Without even a cotton wisp of cloud in the pristine blanket of blue sky, it was quite easy to catch sight of the bright white moon at noon. It’s not that I have never witnessed this celestial scene before, but it caught my attention and partially fulfilled my spiritual homework obligation for the day.
The first step was to find something; the second task was to think about how God did that for me specifically. So, based on numerous past experiences, I know that God often caught my attention through circumstances and then spoke to me through making connections in His Word.
I was led to the following verse in Scripture:
“The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.” (Isaiah 30:26 NIV)
If I look at just the circumstances that are still negative in my life, there is plenty that I could write about. But this verse with a moon as bright as the sun talks about healing. So, I was redirected to focus on what God has restored in our lives.
While the list of recovery situations is not as long as the remaining detrimental ones, I am still reminded to be appreciative for the pockets of progress.
Although my husband and I remain unsure of what God’s full plans are regarding everything that He is allowing to happen in our lives, we continue to lean on each other and trust that:
God is in control.
God’s Word is true.
God is good—all the time.
God’s plans are better than ours.
Now every time I see the moon in the sky during the day, I will be reminded to be thankful for the healing situations that God has chosen to mend in our lives.
Will you choose to participate in this spiritual homework assignment? Try it! See if you can find a personal message from God to you:)