Welcome! It’s good to be in this space with you. You can view any missed issues of the newsletter here. I believe we need a few moments each day to connect to the deeper parts of ourselves and to God. Now, Let’s take a deep breath and push pause together.
When was the last time you felt the awe and wonder of something beautiful?
We’ve become a society who prides ourselves on not wasting time. We’re taught in school to use our time wisely, not to dawdle, and it’s common to peg those who sit daydreaming as unfocused and unmotivated. Most of us have become champions of multi-tasking and we wear our checked off to-do lists like a badge of honor. Productivity is good and it keeps our world moving but we also lose out when we don’t allow for space to simply marvel at something beautiful.
It’s worth remembering that we can’t really appreciate something unless we notice it. If we’re not willing to slow our pace and allow ourselves to come awake to wonder we miss the joy of marveling at beauty.
We bear the image of a creative God who adorns the rose with layers of velvet petals and who lets the ripples of water sparkle in the sunlight for possibly no other reason than to delight us and usher into wonder.
Perhaps noticing beauty is the anecdote to cynicism in a world marked with pain and division. It’s in remembering our smallness below a blanket of stars that we can exhale. When we see the first buds of spring we remember that the change of season brings new life regardless of the harshness of winter. The infectious laughter of a toddler can become the balm of hope for our own mourning. The song of a sparrow our song of praise. When we practice the art of noticing, the world becomes alive with these moments of wonder.
Marveling at the beauty of the natural world is a habit worth forming but so is valuing the beauty we can create through song, art, and placemaking. Here’s a quick read called, “Why Beauty Matters.”
“At every level of the human experience, we are looking for the beautiful, something that gives priority to our souls, not just our physical needs,” - Theaster Gates
A Prayer and a Practice
Awaken my senses to you, Lord.
Clear all distractions that rob me of your presence.
Remind me that you are the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
And may my heart be filled with wonder. Amen.
-Kellye Fabian from the book Sacred Questions
This week, don’t rush a moment, linger, and let the lens of your gaze narrow in on something that you otherwise may have missed. Let yourself become a noticer of beauty that you might come awake to wonder.
I love connecting over these ideas and hearing from you! You can hit reply to this email and share your thoughts with me. If you’re not already subscribed to this newsletter you can do that below and join me on instagram at @Lindsayrstevenson. Thanks for keeping me company in this space! -Lindsay