Jan
11
2013
Find a WOW
Posted in Daily Living 5 Comments
My son, Brian, is twenty-one years old today.
That is not possible…because I just delivered him!
That “it was just yesterday” feeling is common to mothers.
No matter how old your children are…even when they have families of their own…they will always be your children.
When my children were little, we had devotions each day.
Hiding the Word in their heart was so important.
There was one devotion that Brian took very seriously.
The devotion talked of the glory of the Lord and the beauty of His creation.
It challenged us to find a WOW each day!
Mom, come quick! Look at this sunset!
Mom, a hot air balloon is in the sky!
Mom, did you see that spider web?
Mom, look at the icicles hanging from our roof!
My WOW guy!
It always made my day!
Just when I needed it most…his WOW was the pause I needed.
My Selah…my rest.
Brian loved his bike, his skateboard, his basketball.
Brian LOVED his music!
First came the drums…a used set we bought from someone at church.
They were purposely delivered one afternoon when he was not home.
How surprised he was!
We finally had to put a time limit on how late he could play his drums.
He kept a CD player next to his drums…played all kinds of music…and drummed along.
Rock, jazz…various beats he would make up himself.
Drums were followed by guitar and piano.
What an ear God gave him!
One day, while we were talking, he asked me a hypothetical question.
If you had to choose between being blind or deaf, which would you choose?
Neither, I said.
You have to choose one!
To delay a bit…I said, Ok, but you go first…which would you choose, Brian?
I’d rather be blind…I can’t imagine not hearing!
I knew he would say that…because music was so important to him.
I also knew he didn’t want to miss anything…always looking…always listening.
I agreed with his choice.
We proceeded to list all the sounds we would miss if we could not hear.
I thought about finding a WOW each day.
I wondered if I am even aware of all that is around me!
They are there…you just have to slow down enough to see them.
When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food. ” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
“Bring them here to Me,” He said. And He directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:13-21)
You almost miss the miracle if you’re not careful!
Jesus did not do anything elaborate.
He simply looked up to heaven, gave thanks, and broke the loaves.
The people in the back of the crowd, sitting on the grass, didn’t even know what happened.
They just knew they were hungry…and now they were fed!
They missed the WOW that day.
There was a need.
It was miraculously met.
The blessing was accepted as ordinary provision.
I think Jesus still moves and works that way…in the ordinary.
How many of His blessings do we fail to acknowledge because we just don’t see them?
We don’t notice the ways He turns the ordinary into the miraculous!
We miss the WOW!
Look for it.
Find a WOW each day!
They are there…right before your eyes.
Take notice of how many you find.
Find a WOW as you go about your day with your children.
Find a WOW as you drive along in the car.
Find a WOW in the ones that you love.
Praise Him.
He wraps the WOW in the ordinary.
______________________________________________________________________
Happy Birthday, Brian!
Thank you for always finding a WOW!
Life is so interesting through your eyes.
You are deeply loved for the man that you are.
MOM
I could have written those words…. but I hadn’t read the blog till now. It was Janis.
Considering how many times my name has been “changed” by others…. it is kind of good to see the reverse. 🙂 Janna
Forgive me, Janna.
You were on my mind!
Thank you for being so gracious!
Gina
Happy Birthday Brian. You are truly blessed with a wonderful family. Today I think your WOW is your wonderful mom and the sharing of her heart.
Janna,
I will pass on your birthday wishes to Brian.
Thank you for your sweet words…and for your friendship.
Gina
JANIS,
Forgive me…
I read your reply this morning and mistakenly thought JANNA responded.
She graciously made me aware of that!
Thank you for taking the time to respond to the post and for your precious words!
I will pass YOUR birthday wishes on to Brian.
I am grateful for your friendship…a kindred spirit.
I look forward to breakfast or lunch in the near future.
Gina