Have Some Fun!

In my closing thoughts yesterday I mentioned the coming autumn winds and rain, and just like that they showed up today.  This morning when I opened up the blinds to our large kitchen patio, I was taken in by all the droplets of water that were shimmering on everything outside.  Even though it was still lightly raining, the droplets made it look like the patio was graced with tiny diamonds of light.

I opened the slider to let the dog out and then hurried to the study to retrieve my new camera.  This was a scene I couldn’t miss capturing.  First I tried to rig an umbrella over my head so that the camera wouldn’t get wet, but needless to say, my Mary Poppins trick didn’t work, so I tossed the covering and decided just to go out and brave the wilds, camera and all! 

What was really amazing was the close up view of the water beading up on the small leaves of all the plants.  This is a view that most people would miss.  Most times we don’t make the effort to get down on our knees in the cold and wet to examine the intricacies and beauty of the wonders that God has created for us to enjoy in the different seasons of this life.  When was the last time that you took a moment to smell a pretty flower?  To sit back and observe a quick flying humming bird as it drinks the nectar from the flowers in or near your yard?  Or, like me, to be captivated by a wet fall morning!

For the first time in a while, I was not even tempted to get upset when the dog came dripping into the house with her muddy, wet footprints that left a path across the living room floor.  Instead, I was thrilled to see all the sparkling water drops and how they glistened against her shiny black coat.  Like I said, it was a truly amazing sight to behold.  I got so entranced by all the reflections of God’s beauty around me that I totally forgot that I had promised my wife that I would come right up and help her to get ready for the day.  When I finally came back to earth about a half an hour later, I rubbed a towel on the pooch, wiped up the foot prints around the house (this may be the one time that I am thankful for hardwood floors!), and literally ran up the stairs to apologize to my wife!

Let me encourage you to take some time this week, to stop and smell the roses in life.  Don’t be one who sits back one day wondering where all the time went.  I was reading a book this weekend by Mrs. C. Nuzem.  In one chapter she was talking about enjoying the things that your faith causes you to have.  Her theme concerned Jesus’ separating us from the things of our old life and our need to believe in, have the members of our body serve and our lives demonstrate the things of Christ, “so that we can be conscious of them and can fully enjoy them.” (The Life of Faith, Mrs. C. Nuzum – Gospel Publishing House, Springfield Missouri, pg 30)

I believe that is exactly what I found myself doing today!  You know, I can’t remember the last time I took my SLR camera out and just took a ton of pictures of all the little things in my own yard!  I must admit, I had a blast… and my wife laughed when I told her where I had been!  So, go ahead, do it!  Enjoy what God has put right in front of you.  Take the time to be a little carefree and silly.  (You should have seen me with an umbrella sticking up out the back of my shirt.  Even the dog wouldn’t come near me… and to make matters worse, when I got near a plant the umbrella would tip it’s branches and flip water into my face!)

Do me a favor and let me know what you do and see!  Let’s have some fun together!  Have a great and goofy time!  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What FUN things am I expecting TO DO today?”