I woke up this morning wondering what day it was. Mark and I always laugh and say the only two days we know anymore are Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday...we take the trash to the street and Wednesday...the large bins return to the garage. Well, the trash was never picked up last week due to the weather so today it felt like another groundhog's day. I am an up and at'em kind of girl. (My daddy use to come into our bedroom and use that phrase every morning. I think he must have heard it a lot during the war.) Most Tennesseans long for a snow day...maybe not 4, 5, 6 days in a row, especially with all the togetherness we have had this past year!
Hiding under my covers, wanting to avoid the same old day to day, the unavoidable happened as thoughts of my to-do list pulled me out from under the covers.
I never was a coffee drinker until I worked for Apple and found myself on the road weekly. I discovered good coffee in the larger hotels and have been enjoying it ever since. So like any morning routine...in my PJ's and slippers, I headed downstairs for my morning cup of Nespresso. How this company has changed the taste of morning coffee at home!
I opened the curtains to the big window of my dining room and saw a flurry of robins taking off and landing on the two trees in my neighbor's yard. Too many birds to count in this flying frenzy as they flocked to these two trees. They were swooping across the yard looking for berries to eat and a find a branch where they could rest.
I then went to the library window only to see another cluster of robins perched on the limbs of the Maple tree. Each of these birds' red breasts were puffed out as far as they could possibly go. They were flying on and off the branches, calling to each other and then heading to other trees in the area. I got my camera and suddenly found such joy in watching these birds, clicking photos as fast as I could to capture their morning joy.
Before I knew it, just as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone. All the trees now void of birds...where did they all go? The joy that I had for that brief time brought a smile to my face and happiness to my heart. God's glory at its best.
We get up and go through the motions of our day...working...eating...whatever our routine is until the end of day. How often do we miss the joy that God brings into our presence? I am reminded of the saying..."Stop and smell the flowers". Is it because we are so homebound that it is easy to forget the beauty that surrounds us? Are we so caught up in our To-Do list that we fail to look outside of ourselves and be reminded of His presence in our day. 1 Peter 5:7 says Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
This morning as I watched these birds, I was again reminded that God is in everything I see. He cares for every hair on my head, just as he cares for the many birds I saw this morning. How do you find your joy? Look outside to see God's beauty and I bet you will discover joy and comfort for your heart.